Strength is Needed
by KikiB18
Summary: Upon dying in her world, Ireth awakens in the world of Middle Earth and meets the members of The Fellowship. Unsure of herself, Ireth learns to be more open with herself and other's.
1. Author's Note

Alright guys,

So I finally went through and read my story of what I have so far and I AM SO SORRY ABOUT MY BLUNDERS. For real, there were few but they were bad. I've updated all the chapters, and even taken out all my A/N but fear not they are within this first chapter! Well the important ones.

As it was pointed out to me earlier Ireth's name means "sexual desire" **we are ignoring this and pretending it means butterfly because I'm lazy and we are already so far in the story it would be weird to change her name.** Which reminds me, I've noticed as I read the story that there were a few mentions of butterflies and caterpillars and it sounds like I have an obsession with them but I really don't. Her necklace is based off of a necklace I own but that's cause I lack in creativity and it was the only elvish looking piece of jewelry I had. Anywho...

Her sword which is later given to her, I found in the Sindarin Archive, I have no idea if it's reliable but when I find the website I'll post a link on here.

Her sword, which is called Agarwaen, means 'bloodstained', I've dropped a lot of hints about the sword especially during her battle, however I don't want to give anything away to new readers so if your interested about it's powers or whatever you wish to call it you can PM me, I usually answer right away unless I'm KO in my bed.

Her second dagger which is also given to her in later chapters I named myself an pretty sure it was quite horribly. It's called Sigilas, which is supposed to mean 'green dagger', however I do not speak Sindarin or anywhere close to it, I kind of just took the two words and stuck them together. So yea, that's probably not correct, if you do know how to put sindarin words together, it would be great if you could help me out here. :)

Also, my story is mostly based off the movies and any information that was not present in the movies I got from other fan fictions, so yes, Haldir is going to be at Helm's Deep. :0 If I had read Lord of the Rings I'd go based off of the books, but since I have ADD and couldn't get passed chapter 3 of the Fellowship I'm going off the movies.

What have I not mentioned? Oh yes!

Songs that make an appearance:

 _ **River Lullaby from Prince of Egypt**_

 ** _When You Believe from Prince of Egypt_**

 ** _Green Grass Grows All Around from Barney Live in New York_**

 ** _There is Life from Bambi II_**

 ** _See You Again from Furious 7_**

Any other songs that may make an appearance will be added here when a chapter is put up with a song in it...If I remember...

Now for my Disclaimer.

 **DISCLAIMER:**

 **I own nothing of Tolkien's or Peter Jackson's that occur in this story except for the scenes that do not occur in either book nor movie. And only then it's just the script that I can claim. I proclaim Ireth and her mental baggage as my own.**


	2. Blue Skies and Green Fields

Ireth was used to being ignored. Not necessarily ignored, as a girl would ignore a boy vying for her attention, but more as a dismissive subconscious thought. None the less, she was used to her aunt and uncle chattering to each other completely unaware of her when they ate dinner together. It unnerved her just a little that the only family she had left weren't very fond of her. Her Aunt Muriel and Uncle Dan weren't exactly young, but they weren't that old either. They were only in their early forties. So when she first moved in with them when she was ten, she was a little more than shocked at her less than warm welcome. It had made her want to cry even more than when she'd lost her baby brother, and parents only two weeks before that. After two years of tears and feeling like a parasite in her Aunts home, she learned to keep herself from crying and completely out of the way. Her Aunt and uncle weren't bad people per se, after all her Aunt, her mother's sister, had also lost a part of her on that fateful day. Ireth wasn't sure why her Aunt chose to keep a disconnected relationship with her; she assumed it may be because she was the last link to her mother, that perhaps it was too painful for her to be in the vicinity of her sister's only surviving child. Whatever the reason, Ireth understood that her Aunt was in pain, and forgave her.

Ireth, being on the more shy side of the coin, was quiet by nature and with lack of encouragement and even more importantly lack of friends and support, found herself to be something she didn't entirely like. She hated displeasing people. Her heart jumped in fear when someone was angered with her. But most importantly, she felt she wasn't important in the world she was in. In fact, she was almost sure of it. The need to make herself feel important, at least to her Aunt was so overwhelming at times she couldn't hear herself think. And it was at one of these moments where fate came into play. She hadn't been paying attention at all to her surroundings, and found herself in the middle of the road, the headlights of a big truck coming toward her. She didn't move, just stared with big brown eyes in fear at the lights. For a moment, she felt suspended in the air, and then just as quickly she felt herself drop and fall with a little thump onto soft grass.

She blinked up in surprise at the clear blue sky above her. _What?_ She thought. Wasn't it eight o'clock? She sat up looking around in wonder. All she could see were hills and in the distance, snow-capped mountains. Inhaling, she felt her brows arch over her forehead. _The air is so clean and fresh!_ Curiosity got the better of her, and she stood to look around, letting out a little yelp of surprise to see that the t-shirt and shorts she had on before she had seen the headlights were gone, and now replaced with worn looking clothes that were surprisingly light. She blinked, stunned, at the attire. She looked like she was straight out of Robin Hood. A cream colored tunic acted as an under shirt, keeping all her skin from her neck to her elbows hidden. Over that was a pale green vest, nearly matching the color of the grass, which hung just above her mid-thigh. Her trousers were the deepest green she'd ever seen, and nearly fit her like a second skin, the ends tucked into brown boots that reached up to her calves. A belt was tied around her waist, a strap lining with her leg until it connected with another belt wrapped around her thigh. She'd seen something like it before, in Tomb Raider. Only instead of a holster and gun, she had a knife and scabbard attached to hers. She wasn't sure if she should be worried about it or be in awe of it. The hilt was beautifully crafted with swirling designs that looked like leaves. Carefully, she let her finger glide over it, noticing the leather on her hands that wrapped over her forearms, palms and knuckles. She wouldn't have even noticed if her hands hadn't come into her view.

Wind blew at her, and once again she was surprised at the feel of a cloak at her neck as it whipped in the wind. It hung just to her calves, and was the same deep green as her pants. Curious, she felt the cloak between her fingers, surprised to find that it was much thicker than its weight let on and again her sight caught on something else that made her blink slowly in surprise. Her deep brown hair, which had always rested just below her shoulders, reached down and down to her waist, small tints of gold and red hidden in the brown strands.

A part of her mind was screaming that all of this was impossible and that none of this could possibly be real. Another part was too curious and eager to explore to care. And the part of her mind that she hated, but made up most of her mind anyways, was trying to figure out where to go to ask directions without being a burden on anyone. The only problem was that it seemed that no one was around, or at least she thought so until she thought she saw the gleam of something shiny just a stone throw away to her right. She turned, curiously and took a step, until something flew at her feet so fast it scared her, and with a little yelp of surprise took a step backward, tripped over her own feet and fell promptly on her butt. Her mouth hung open in shock as she blinked at an _arrow_ sunken into the ground, just where she was about to step. And then when the blinked again, there were two swords, a stick and another arrow point at her. She blinked for a moment, looking at the men who surrounded her. They were all fairly pretty, save for the old man who was hidden behind a great big grey beard.

For a moment she could only stare at them in shocked silence until one of them spoke. Her eyes focused on the one closest to her. He had an arrow trailed on her with the string to an intricate bow held taught. She thought he was quite beautiful with bright blue eyes and shining blonde hair that reached just passed his shoulders. He spoke again in a strange language, a very serious expression on his face.

"W-what?" She stuttered softly, confusion and panic beginning to seep into her. Another look crossed the blondes face, but it was wiped clean before she could decipher it.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" One of the men holding the swords snapped. She flinched, swinging her gaze to the fearsome man. His red hair surprised her.

"M-my name is Ireth." She spoke, not sure how to answer his second question. She bit her lip, feeling her face turn red with the heady swirl of emotion she was feeling. The old man, who held a stick—no—a staff to her face, lowered it considerably, enough for her to feel at least a little less like she was going to die.

"Ireth." He said in his strong yet gravelly voice. "I know of no Elven Ladies with that name." He looked at the blonde who shook his head, and then to a dark haired man, holding the other sword. He shook his head.

"We should kill her. There is no reason for any kind of maiden to traipse about alone in these hills." The red head sneered, putting the tip of his sword under her chin. A squeak involuntarily escaped her lips. "She could be a spy, for all we know," The red haired man continued on.

Her? A spy? She couldn't even get away with sneaking a midnight snack, even when she was home alone. Something caught her attention as she ran the conversation through her head. "E-excuse me?"

The man fell silent as he looked at her, but she was looking at the old man, a frown tugging her eyebrows downward. "Yes?"

She hesitated only a moment, "W-what is an Elven Lady?"

They all blinked slowly at her, as if they couldn't believe she had just asked that. She gulped, feeling her cheeks burn in embarrassment.

"It is a female elf." The dark haired man supplied for her, lowering his sword, so that it pointed at the grass and not her face, yet was still drawn, just in case. Ireth frowned, feeling more confused, "what does a female elf have to do with me?"

She was sure she thought it, but she must have whispered it out, because it seemed they had all heard her.

"My dear," The old man started, an incredulous tone in his voice, "do you not know what you are?"

She blinked at him, and slowly spoke. "I am a human."

"No," this was the blonde man, and she swung her gaze back to him, looking at him with wide eyes, "you are an elf—like me."

She had the urge to laugh, but with the weight in the air, found the strength to push it away. "I do not understand. How can I be an elf? I am not—"she stopped speaking, frowning at herself.

"Enough with this, she is trying to distract us," The red haired man spoke, raising his sword so that she had to hold her head up in order to keep it from the soft skin of her neck. She looked up, wide-eyed, at the sky, thinking it weird that she would find herself to die on such a pretty day. Maybe this was a dream and she'd wake up in her room or possibly in a hospital bed.

"You face death, yet you do not shed sorrow?" the old man questioned her. She glanced at him and shrugged.

"It is just death. It comes one way or another." She was surprised at the solemnity in her voice—it rang with a feeling of gloom.

"Wise words for a human-elf." The old man chuckled, "Lower your sword Boromir. This elleth is no spy of Saruman."

The sword dropped from her neck with a scowl on the red haired man, Boromir's, face. She felt a sigh release from her body and brought a hand to her throat. She felt a chain brush her fingertip and quickly hooked her pinky to pull the chain loose from under her shirt. She still had the necklace her mother gave her when she was two. It was a silver butterfly pendant with Amethyst Stones acting as the wings and small diamonds to create the segmented body. It used to shine brilliantly in the light, but for eight long years, ever since the car accident, it's slowly lost nearly all of its brilliance. She saw that the old man, the blonde man and the dark-haired man, were all staring at the pendent with a certain amount of shock and disturbance. "Uhm," She hesitated, stuffing her necklace back into her shirt. "Do you know where I am?"

At their silence, she rushed on, "I seem to be lost. One moment, I was home and the next I am here. I only just awoke moments before you found me. If you could just tell me where the nearest town is, I will be on my way."

Another collective silence, and she soon found herself red faced and feeling very, very idiotic.

The dark haired one answered her question, "You are in Hollin."

She blinked, even more confused. "Hollin?"

She's never heard of it. Biting her lip, she looked at her knees. What was she supposed to do? If she doesn't have the tiniest inkling of where she is how was she supposed to find her way home? She took a breath, looking up. Her eye caught the shaft of the arrow sunken in before her. She tilted her head at it in curiosity. She looked at the men who had gone a few feet away and were now speaking quietly to each other.

They were dressed similarly to her, if a little more rough looking. They had middle-aged weapons on them that even from this distance she could tell were real and very, very sharp. She looked back at the arrow before her feet. They had thought she was a spy. They must be doing something important if they are that suspicious of people…but…she looked around at the barren green hills and rocky faces…they were the only ones around it seems. Standing, she dusted imaginary dirt off herself and wrapped her fingers around the shaft of the arrow and pulled it out of the ground. She was surprised to find not a stain of dirt on the arrow head nor any caked on to the shaft that had an intricate pattern carved into it.

"Have you not seen an arrow before?"

Ireth jumped in shock, not hearing the blonde elf approach her. She blinked at his amused look before shrugging her shoulders and staring at the ground.

"Not like this one. It is beautiful." She murmured, offering him the decorative end of the arrow. For some reason, she felt nervous. Ireth couldn't understand why until she heard a loud and obnoxious sounding voice. She felt her eyes go wide as she looked around until she saw the small group that threatened her doubled. She tilted her head in curiosity. They were all men, that she could tell, but one was super short, just a head shorter than her and the other four were not but children, with a pony strapped down with supplies behind them.

The blonde spoke again, "I am sorry for shooting at you."

Ireth looked at him, she could see his face was sincere. "You were protecting your companions. It is nothing to apologize for."

"Well spoken, Lady Ireth." The older man spoke, leaning on the stick he had pointed at her mere moments ago. Ireth was curious about him; she could tell he was ancient, yet the twinkle in his eye said that he was far stronger than the "old man" act he was pulling. From the corner of her eye, Ireth could see the others gather closer. The dark-haired man whispered something to the grey man, who nodded his head and looked to the others.

"This elleth here, is to come with us, for now. We don't have time to loose, we can make introductions later."

The very short man, who had a great, big, red beard with an ax strapped to his back spoke. "This journey is no place for a wee lass!"

Ireth recognized his voice as the voice she heard earlier that startled her. The grey man looked indignant as he spoke to the short man. "Master Dwarf, are you doubting my judgement?"

Ireth found it a little rude to call him a dwarf but it seemed to go over the short man's head like wind on a mountain. She looked to the blonde next to her, looking at him questioningly, "Master Dwarf?"

Amusement again in his face, but it was soon gone and he looked at her curiously. "You seem to be unaware of many things of our world. Did your parents not give you a tutor?"

A sharp pang struck through Ireth's chest. She looked at her hands, wondering if the "elf" could see the slight tremor in them. "My parents are no longer with me."

"I am sorry." The weight of a hand appeared on her shoulder, and squeezed in a reassuring manner. Taking a breath, she looked at the blonde elf and smiled at him, before looking off to the group who were waving them forward. She could see the man from earlier, Boromir if she remembered correctly, was glaring at her distastefully. She swallowed, putting at least three feet between them. Two of the children, one red headed and the other with mousy brown hair, whispered fiercely with each other, and on closer inspection, Ireth realized, they weren't children at all. They had the faces of middle-aged men, though there was a youthful look about them. Perhaps it was the mischievous glint in their eyes.

To Ireth, it seemed as if they had been walking for miles and miles, and that they'd been traveling for days. But as it turns out, they'd found her early morning, just after dawn and when they stopped it was only midday. None seemed to be particularly worn out to Ireth. Even the "Master Dwarf", seemed to be fine. Her on the other hand. She could feel the blood in her cheeks and the pounding of her heart in her chest, though she was glad she wasn't out of breath. That would be embarrassing. All they did was walk, it's not like they ran a great distances or anything.

The group had stopped at a place in the field littered with boulders and bushes. Not really sure what to do, Ireth stood to the side, watching curiously as the others started to make a camp. The elf, stood on the rocks looking around, before turning to say something to the dark-haired man.

"Now can we talk to her?" An impatient voice said. There was a grunt and suddenly there were two very small men in front of her. Ireth blinked at them. They couldn't have been any more than 4 feet tall, if not smaller. They were looking at her curiously, and Ireth couldn't help but smile shyly at them. "Hello."

"Good evening to you, my lady! I am Meriadoc Brandybuck! But you can call me Merry!" spoke the red-headed small one. He bowed from the waist down in a somewhat clumsy manner.

"And I am Peregrin Took! But friends call me Pippin!" The brown haired small one said, grinning toothily as he bowed slightly, before straightening.

"Good evening, Merry, Pippin. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Ireth Carafell."She ducked her head in a bow. When she looked up they looked eager to speak more with her until another small one shooed them away muttering about "not disturbing her with your nonsense."

"Good evening, ma'am. I am Samwise Gamgee." He spoke respectfully, if not a little bashfully. He was a carrot haired man, with warm brown eyes and a thick face. Ireth smiled at him. "Good evening, Samwise."

"Oh, you could just call me Sam, Miss Carefell." He tripped over her last name but Ireth didn't really mind.

"Please," she grinned, "call me Ireth."

"Miss Ireth, I'd like to introduce you to Mr. Frodo Baggins of Bag End." Sam motioned to a dark haired, blue eyed small one. He had a wary expression as he smiled delicately at her. "Hello."

"It is nice to meet you, Mr. Frodo." Ireth smiled reassuringly at the small one, curious as to why everyone, well at least the tall ones seemed to be on edge. It must have something to do with their journey. She knew it was important, this journey, maybe so that it was classified information. She made up her mind not to ask anything of it. If they wish to trust her with the details they will do such.

After a moment of awkward silence, Sam decided he should start making a meal and moved to start a fire, Frodo asked Ireth if he would sit beside her. He was quiet, looking at his bare feet which were quite big and hairy for his size. Ireth wondered if he wished to speak with her or just wanted her companionship. She wasn't sure, so she remained silent and looked over to Merry and Pippin who had begun a mock-sword fight with Boromir.

He wasn't as awful as she first thought, as he was genially enjoying teaching the small men how to handle their swords. She smiled, figuring he was protective of his companions, which explained his distrustfulness and hostility towards her. She envied him for that. Never has she really ever spoken freely like he did, even if he was speaking about killing her.

She looked at Frodo, and pursed her lip. She really wanted to ask him what he was. He simply couldn't be human or an elf. "Frodo," She said hesitantly, continuing when he looked at her curiously. "I do not wish to be rude but, would you mind telling me what you and your friends are?"

She felt her cheeks turn red as she continued to speak, feeling her voice get softer and softer until her voice was a mere whisper. If Frodo hadn't been beside her, he wouldn't have caught her question. Frodo grinned at her, sensing her uneasiness with the question.

"It's not rude, Miss Ireth, many folks around do not know of Hobbits. We are Halflings."

"H-hobbits?" Ireth asked, feeling a ring of familiarity from the word. Frodo nodded and then motioned to the "Master Dwarf".

"That is Gimli, son of Gloin. He's a dwarf from the Lonely Mountain." Said dwarf was leaning on a large rock, smoking a pipe beside the grey man. He nodded to Ireth when he heard Frodo mention his name to the she-elf. Ireth looked from the hobbit to the dwarf in wonder. She was actually in the presence of creatures that were deemed non-existent in her world. And they thought she was an elf! She looked to the blonde elf, watching him curiously. They think she is the same as him? She was nowhere near as graceful nor beautiful as he. Then she let her gaze drift to the dark-haired man, surprised to find him staring at her. She felt her face flush and let her gaze drop to her hands.

"Who is he?" She asked quietly, letting her gaze drift sideways to Frodo, only he seemed preoccupied with something else. Frodo seemed lost deep into thought, fingering something in his pocket. A terrible, ill-feeling slid down Ireth's back. She felt scared all of a sudden. Of Frodo. When she tried to move, she found she couldn't, as if she were petrified.

"Get him!"

The sudden shout brought her out of the terror and she looked up surprised to find Boromir being tackled to the ground by Merry and Pippin.

"Ireth?" She jumped, looking at the grey man who had called her. He motioned for her to come forward, ignoring the remarks that the dwarf made about the directions of their journey.

"Yes,uhm…"Ireth paused, unsure of what to call him.

"Ah, yes, I am Gandalf. Gandalf the Grey." He spoke, and then motioned for her to sit beside him. As she did so, she noticed something in the sky. She looked at it curiously. It looked like a wisp of a cloud, as Gimli just suggested but it moved quickly.

"It…it looks like a flock of birds." She murmured.

"Crebain from Dunland!"

The dark haired man shouted for everyone to hide. In a flurry people started moving about. Sam put out the fire, Frodo grabbed his packs. The elf grabbed his quiver of arrows and soon everyone was diving under the bushes and hiding between rocks. A hand firmly gripped her arm, bringing her down under a bush, she felt herself slide over a body, and then get crushed between a rock and this persons back. A squeak was all she had managed to get out during the whole ordeal, but she couldn't say anything more as mere moments later the flock of birds were flying overhead cawing loudly and sending shivers up her back full of dread. She felt it important not to be seen and stiffened, not daring to even blink as she watched through the thick branches that covered her. The birds circled a few times before taking off in another direction. Ireth didn't move even when she felt the person who had hidden her leave.

"Spies of Saruman!" Gandalf said. "We must take the pass of Caradhras!"

She heard everyone start to move about, perhaps preparing camp or packing to leave, one thing Ireth was sure about was that this world she was in was nothing like her own and she would have to tread carefully and trust in these people. They seemed content to help her, though she did feel like she was imposing on their quest already.

"Ireth?" It was the elf, He was kneeling beside the bush she was under, lifting the branches to view her. "I apologize for handling you the way I did. Are you hurt?"

Ireth shook her head quickly, sliding from underneath the bush, taking the offered hand of the elf. "No, no, I'm alright. If you had not acted, I could have made more trouble for you and your companions." Ireth frowned, looking in the direction the birds went. "Those were not ordinary birds, were they?"

The elf, frowning, nodded. Ireth looked back at him and smiled. "Thank you…for helping me stand. Uhm...May I ask…what your name is?" She asked timidly.

"Legolas of Mirkwood." Was all he said before swinging his quiver, which had been dangling from his hand, onto his back.

The others had started to leave the cropping of rocks, and soon Ireth found herself scrambling to catch up. She could be wrong, but for a moment, she felt that Legolas did not wish to give her his name. Strange, she thought, could these people actually not want to help me? If so, then Ireth needs to find a town to part with them in and fast.

Ireth followed them, making sure to keep up. She had decided to walk beside the pony, Bill, that way she was out of the way and helping at the same time. Well, she hoped she was helping. It wasn't until it started getting cold that Ireth started to worry. They had headed in the direction of the mountain but she had figured they were headed to a path on the base. When the snow started to fall, she nearly panicked. If they were going on that mountain, they were greatly underdressed. But it seemed they were determined to get up that mountain. She kept her mouth shut, braving against the cold winds.


	3. To the Gates of Moria

They were barely up the mountain, or even in the worst of colds and she was already shivering. She chewed on her lip to keep her teeth from audibly chattering. Soon, they were in knee deep snow. Or at least she thought they were. She found herself atop the snow, along with Legolas, while everyone else seemed to be quite shorter. Despite this advantage, Ireth still found herself lagging behind. She'd never walked in wind so intense before, and she was unused to the sharp pain of the snow stinging her cheeks and eyes.

A shout caught her attention, and when she looked up, she barely had enough time to catch a snow covered Frodo, only she went down with him, and they slid a few feet more back from the direction they came. The dark haired man, Aragorn, she learned his name was, trudged back to them quickly. He helped Frodo up quickly, who seemed to be on the verge of panic as he patted his chest, looking for something. Ireth was about to offer her help when Frodo suddenly stopped and looked in the direction of Boromir. He held a chain in his hands and was fingering a gold band that had been looped on it. He looked entranced. Ireth squinted to get a better look at the ring, and suddenly wished she hadn't. Her heart pounded in her chest, and an irrational fear gripped her. She froze on the spot. Staring fixedly at the ring.

"Boromir." She heard Aragorn call. She paid no attention to it. At the moment, she was trying to fight the urge to either, turn and run as far and fast away as possible or, take the ring and throw it as far away from her as she could. When Boromir brought the ring over to Frodo, she took an involuntary step backward, a sickening feeling washing over her. She didn't want the ring anywhere near her.

Frodo snatched the ring from Boromirs hand, pulling it over his head with a sigh and tucking it into his shirt. Ireth held steadfast. She could still feel the fear. Her insides twisted with nerves. She watched warily where the ring had once been, even after Frodo had left the spot. She wanted to move but found she couldn't. She was still paralyzed with fear.

A hand clamped down on her shoulder. She let out a loud scream, jumping backwards. She blinked in surprise at Legolas, who seemed quite surprised as well. The look was replaced with a worried frown. "Are you alright?"

She lied. "Y-yes." She looked around. Everyone was waiting for her, she realized, and felt her cheeks turn even pinker than they already were. "I'm sorry. I did not mean to keep you."

Ireth quickly started to tread up the path, leaving Legolas behind. He quickly caught up, and pulled ahead of her. She caught the look he gave to Aragorn and Gandalf. Ireth sighed. Now they really didn't want her around. She knew that look, she's seen it many times on her aunt and uncle. A look of suspicion. Looking at her feet as she tread up the hill, she decided to stay quiet and avoid anyone's questioning looks. When the snow got so deep Gandalf had to use his staff to make a path, Ireth chose to trail behind Bill in the trench of snow, despite the fact that she could walk atop the snow without falter. Behind Bill, she could be by herself, and not worry about the eyes of the suspicious.

Ireth heard a shout and then Gandalf's booming voice, "It's Saruman!"

Suddenly, there was an avalanche of snow. Ireth became buried, along with everyone else, and felt her knees buckle from the weight of the snow. She had no idea what was going on. She felt disoriented and tried digging her way out. It was getting hard to breath and her arms were starting to get tired and sore. Just when she thought she would freeze to death, hands shot down from above her and hooked themselves under her arms. Before she knew what was going on, she was pulled out of the snow, blinking rapidly. Legolas, frowning to himself, stood before her, dusting snow from her face and hair. He seemed to be deep in thought, and Ireth was too timid to tell him she was fine and break his trail of thought. He was absently tightening her cloak around her neck and pulling her hood snug over her head. Then, he quickly turned her around and nudged her to walk forward. Were they going back down the mountain? After they came so far? She looked behind her, passed Legolas. Everyone was trudging after her, the hobbits looking a little blue in the face and dejected looking.

When they reached the bottom of the mountain, Ireth finally heard they'd be going through the mines of Moria. She noted the look of dread on Gandalf's face. At first she was confused and asked, "Aren't mines dangerous?"

She'd only been laughed at by Gimli, who boasted that the mines of Moria weren't nearly as dangerous as the woods. This only confused Ireth, but she didn't say anything and trudged behind Aragorn. Ireth was beginning to feel the wear and tear this journey was bringing onto her body. She'd never walked or climbed or been so cold in her life! The tips of her fingers had been starting to turn blue and now ached considerably as they began to warm, her legs and somehow her arms throbbed from moving so much. She held her hands up to inspect them, unable to control the glower she gave them.

"Have you never seen fingers before?" A snide voice said beside her. Ireth looked up in surprise, never noticing that Boromir had been walking beside her for some time now. She frowned.

"It is not that. I…I've just never been exposed to the elements for such a long period of time before." She looked at her hand once more before dropping it to her side. "I was simply thinking I might be a hindrance on your quest."

She didn't look at Boromir as she said it, but she knew once it had been uttered she wished she never said it. Quickly, she marched ahead, quickly passing Aragorn to walk beside Gandalf. He only glanced at her a moment, saw the doubtful look on her face, and knew she wished to be alone with her thoughts. By the time they reached their destination it was nightfall and Ireth had never been so tired before. She was sure she could fall asleep standing up and knew definitely if she sat down she'd be out before she even settled.

Ireth looked around at the scenery and quickly decided she didn't like it at all. Fog spread in thickly over the water, and eve around them. The trees seemed dead and there was dead foliage everywhere. In one word, Ireth would call it creepy. She watched curiously as Gandalf whispered to himself and touched the rocky walls in different places, before looking up to the sky. Slowly, the moon peaked from behind the clouds, lighting Gandalf's face and the wall behind him. All at once the stone wall began to glow, revealing what looked to be a door. Ireth couldn't be sure.

Gandalf read the inscriptions on the door.

"What do you suppose that means?' Merry questioned.

Gandalf grinned, "It's quite simple, if you are a friend, you speak the password, and the doors will open!"

Ireth thought it to be quite simple indeed. Until it was revealed that the words Gandalf had spoken were not the password. Everyone sat while waiting for Gandalf to figure out the password. Ireth stood, looking over the water. She felt uneasy about it. There's something in it, she thought. Her gaze looking for something to confirm her thoughts.

"You should rest, Lady Ireth, until Gandalf opens the doors." Legolas voice carried to her ears, though she could swear he was nowhere close to her. She turned toward his voice, surprised to find him closer than she thought as he was standing beside her and not near the doors by Gandalf.

"I am fine. Thank you, though." She smiled at the look of apprehension on his face, before frowning. "Please do not address me as 'Lady'. I do not have such a standing here nor where I am from."

She saw the disbelief right away on Legolas face. "If you are not a Lady, why do you wear a circlet?"

Ireth inhaled sharply, "A what?"

Her hands quickly went to her head feeling the cool metal of an intricate circlet resting on her forehead. How had she never felt it before? It was almost like it was a part of her, even now, when she is aware of it, she cannot feel on her head.

"You did not know?" Legolas questioned.

"Not at all. I can barely feel its presence." Ireth spoke, blinking in surprise.

They both looked over at the sudden sounds of multiple splashes. Ireth gasped, watching in horror as Pippin and Merry were about to throw more stones into the water. That is, until Aragorn grabbed them both, whispering to them it best not to disturb the water.

"There is something in the water." Ireth spoke softly, looking worriedly at Legolas. He watched the water, and she too turned to look at it. There was something moving, she could see it, just barely in the moonlight. It was coming toward the shore.

"What's the elvish word for friend?" She heard Frodo question and then Gandalf's gravelly voice answer.

"Mellon."

Ireth turned, seeing the doors open with a loud groan. Everyone made to enter the mine, Ireth following behind next to the hobbits. She kept an eye on the water, waiting for the hobbits to fully enter the mines. She heard a commotion and turned to look into the mines, barely registering the skeletons littering the ground, when the hobbits started to shout.

"Frodo!"

Ireth looked in horror as a giant tentacle dragged Frodo to the water, knocking the others away from him. She leaped into action, literally. She was up in the air, her arms wrapped around the tentacle.

"Strider!" Frodo yelled, terrified.

"Hold on Frodo!" Ireth whispered, pulling her knife from its sheath. She wrapped her legs around one tentacle and reached across toward the other holding his hand, using it to anchor herself, and quickly sliced at it, ignoring the ugly churn in her stomach. A shriek nearly deafened her ears and she felt a tentacle wrap around her midsection and toss her away. She screamed as she sailed through the air and groaned when she hit the ground—hard. She quickly came to her bearings, watching in horror as it looked like the giant octopus wanted to eat Frodo.

The horror subsided as Aragorn quickly brought the tentacle holding Frodo down, and caught the falling hobbit. He raced to the entrance of Moria, and Ireth quickly followed, wincing at the sharp pain in her hip. Legolas entered behind her and there was a loud roar and the sound of stones breaking and splitting before they were cast into darkness. The only sounds that could be heard were the hobbits heavy breathing and her own.

Gandalf had taken a crystal from the ground earlier, and now had that stone glowing in his staff. Ireth preferred the dark, at the least to spare her sight from the old dwarven bodies that littered the floors. Her eyes travelled to Gandalf who looked around wearily, "Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world."

For some reason, this made Ireth nervous. She wasn't sure why, but it did. Her nerves seemed to only twist tighter when Gandalf mentioned it would be a four day journey to the other side of Moria. With a small sigh, Ireth rubbed her aching leg and quickly limped after the old wizard. She couldn't tell the time at all and wondered when exactly they would come to rest; she was beginning to wish she had taken a nap at the doors of Moria. Finally, Gandalf paused, announcing that they would rest, before heading on. Ireth has never felt more relieved in her life. She picked a spot against a wall, preferably where there were no dead bodies and sat heavily, rubbing her leg where she was beginning to think was bruised heavily. She leaned her head back and shut her eyes.

She opened her eyes slowly at the motion of her being shaken. She could barely comprehend the amused look on Legolas face as he spoke, "I apologize Ireth, but we do not have five minutes to spare."

That's when she fully woke up and felt the blood rush to her cheeks. "Sorry," she mumbled sheepishly, quickly getting to her feet, forgetting all about the ache in her leg. She gasped, putting a hand to the source of its throbbing. The amusement left Legolas face as he gently supported her.

"You're hurt." He stated.

"It's just an ache. I'd forgotten about it, it just took me by surprise is all." She avoided his gaze, looking to Gandalf and Aragorn, both seemingly ready to go. In all actuality, her leg was killing her, she knew she hadn't broken it, she could walk on it, but there was the possibility that it was fractured. She was hoping though that it was simple muscle bruising. She didn't land that hard on the ground.

"Can you walk?" Legolas questioned. She nodded, determined not to be a burden. When Gandalf motioned for them to move on, she quickly went ahead of Legolas, hoping that he wouldn't notice her slight limp. Ireth could feel herself slowly start to become more irritated, especially when Boromir pointed out her limp to everyone.

"If you were hurt you should have said so." Gandalf spoke, irritation filling his voice. Stubbornly, Ireth shook her head.

"It's just a bruise." At the collective looks of doubt she received she stubbornly let out an irritated gasp. "I am not fatally injured, it's not going to end my life!"

This satisfied Gandalf, and Aragorn. Boromir didn't say anything, turning away with a scoff. Legolas stared at her, for an uncomfortable amount of time until he finally chose to follow Gandalf. She brought up the rear, just in front of Gimli, who was more silent than usual. When they came to a stop, Ireth, bristled. She could feel that they weren't alone in these caverns.

"I have no memory of this place." Gandalf spoke quietly. Ireth thought it strange she could hear him, but thought nothing of it. Seeing that they wouldn't be moving until Gandalf remembered the path they were on, Ireth sat on a stony edge, and rested her leg. It wasn't so painful now anymore. It simply throbbed, and for that she was thankful for. It seemed as if they were waiting for hours, when she felt someone sit beside her. She didn't remember closing her eyes, so she felt a little weird suddenly opening them.

"Are you well?" She was a little surprised to see Boromir sitting beside her, looking at the ground. She looked at her leather bound toes.

"Truly." She said, giving him a small smile, "It simply throbs now."

He nodded, and stood, just as Gandalf stood, a broad smile on his face. "It's this way!"

"He's remembered!" Merry spoke excitedly, but Gandalf quickly corrected him.

"No, but the air doesn't smell so foul here." He winked at the hobbit. "If in doubt Meriadoc, always follow your nose."

 _For the fruity taste that shows_ , Ireth thought automatically, thinking of her favorite cereal. She stood, climbing the steps toward the tunnel, when she paused, upon hearing something. When she looked around, her eye caught movement in the cavern below, and she caught sight of a creature that made the hair at the back of her neck stand on end. She quickly caught up to the group.

They continued down the tunnel until it suddenly opened up into a great big room. It was the biggest room Ireth has ever seen; surely meant for giants and not dwarves! Gandalf spoke giving them the name of this great city, but it was lost on Ireth's ears as Gimli let out a wail and raced for a room that resided on the far right of the hall. They quickly gave chase, calling out for Gimli to come back. Ireth stopped short upon entering the room. There was a great stone tomb that Gimli wept over, his wails piercing her ears sharply. As Gandalf read from a book he'd picked up from the body of a dwarf, she went over to the dwarf, and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. She knew the pain of losing a loved one better than anyone would expect. The screeching of tires and blare of a car horn still haunted her dreams, even when she was awake.

"We must move on. We cannot linger." She heard Legolas voice very well. It was the sudden sound of something crashing and the many echoes and thrashing that had startled her. When she looked over, all she saw was a small hobbit cringing at each echo the noise made until all was silent.

"Fool of a Took!" Gandalf growled, "Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity."

Flabbergasted, Ireth quickly went over to the ashamed looking hobbit and put a reassuring hand on his back. Then she heard something peculiar. It sounded, kind of like, drumming. Boromir ran to the doors, shutting them closed and barely missing three arrows to his head. There was a thunderous roar, and as Boromir caught his breath, leaning on the door, he looked over his shoulder.

"They have a cave troll." He said with pseudo humor.

Quickly, Aragorn and Legolas went to action barricading the doors with old weapons. As Orcs began to pound on the doors they backed up. Ireth wasn't sure who but someone had shouted for the hobbits to stay with Gandalf.

Gimli, in a great rage jumped atop the tomb of his loved one, roaring, "Let them come! There is one Dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath!"

Being honest with herself, Ireth readily allowed herself to be fearful, she didn't know what orcs were, but just by the sound she knew they were something awful. As the orcs started to break through the door, Ireth took a deep breath and pulled her knife from its sheath. She wasn't skilled in fighting with knives, but she'd make do with what she did know and was glad of the decision her parents made to enroll her in self-defense classes. The only difference now is that she had to avoid swords. Sounded doable. The orcs broke through the door and she quickly went into her center, standing relaxed at the back of the room.

At first, the orcs didn't notice her as she stood off to the side, and this allowed her the time to actually see what these things were. They were hideous in her opinion. Some were hunched over and evil looking; others were large and disfigured. But what they all had in common were the malicious looks in their eyes, the mangled flesh and the awful smell they produced. It wasn't enough for her to get over the possible fact that she may have to kill them. No, what got her over that, was the excited way they tried to slaughter her companions. When she was finally spotted, a chill went up her spine. A handful of Orcs corralled around her. They looked at her differently than when they were attacking the others. She didn't like it.

"This one we keep alive."


	4. The Fall of Gandalf

At first, the orcs didn't notice her as she stood off to the side, and this allowed her the time to actually see what these things were. They were hideous in her opinion. Some were hunched over and evil looking; others were large and disfigured. But what they all had in common were the malicious looks in their eyes, the mangled flesh and the awful smell they produced. It wasn't enough for her to get over the possible fact that she may have to kill them. No, what got her over that, was the excited way they tried to slaughter her companions. When she was finally spotted, a chill went up her spine. A handful of Orcs corralled around her. They looked at her differently than when they were attacking the others. She didn't like it.

"This one we keep alive." The one who seemed to be the leader spoke. He rushed forward, and out of instinct, Ireth backed up until her back hit a wall. She was expecting to get stabbed or something, but she wasn't expecting the Orc to trip and fall over with an arrow sticking out of the back of his head.

She looked up, spying Legolas among the other moving bodies. How did he have time to shoot her assailant? Another Orc charged her, and she acted quickly this time, and as he rushed her, she shoved her palm in an upward direction on his nose. He screeched in pain, an awful sound that had her grimacing. With only the barest hesitation, as the orc cried out and thrashed, Ireth slammed her knife down into the orcs exposed back and quickly pulled it out. She didn't have time to get sick. Another was already replacing the fallen orc. This one had a sword, and she didn't think she'd be able to dodge it, not with the way he kept swinging them. So she did the next best thing. She faked running to the left and took off towards the right when he made to follow her left and ran like hell. She avoided the corners and made to cut across the open corridor when she suddenly skidded to a halt as the wall with the doors began to crack open.

There was a pause in the fighting when the cave troll entered. He roared, his breath stinking up the room. As the troll moved forward, she quickly dodged behind it, avoiding jabs of spears and swords. She was suddenly glad of this becoming an elf thing. She moved way faster than she did when she was human. She swiped her knife at the orcs who were close enough to her, bringing several on a high speed chase, which was quickly diminished as a few were caught in Legolas line of fire and stepped on by the troll. When none others followed her she slowed to a stop and doubled over trying to catch her breath.

"You are quite the mouse, little elf." A nasty voice said from behind her. She straightened, spinning around with her knife up. She was nervous. This one was bigger than the others she's faced. She took a breath, and steadied herself, eyeing the hand he held his jagged and rusted looking blade in. He tried to swipe at her but Ireth was quicker. She flung herself backwards the blade swishing passed her, barely missing her body.

Several shouts had her looking towards the other side of the room. The hobbits, Merry and Pippin were atop the Troll, stabbing him in the back of the head over and over. She looked back to the Orc in front of her just as he swung the sword at her again. She tried dodging, but the tip of the blade dug into her ribs in a slashing motion. She didn't scream, in fact she could barely feel the pain as she moved in and brought the knife into his neck. She pulled it out, ignoring the blood that freely flowed down the orcs neck.

She looked around, but there were no other orcs around. In fact everyone was crowded on the other side of the room. She began to walk, pausing as she grimaced, feeling the pain of the scratch on her ribs. Ireth held her fingers to the wound, pulling her hand back to find them covered with warm blood. She needed to stop the flow otherwise she might bleed out, but she didn't want them to know she was hurt. They'd feel like they'd need to protect her, and she can do that pretty well. For the most part. Walking to the group, she let her cloak drape in front of her, covering her bloody hand pressing on her wound.

"I'm okay," Frodo was saying, "I'm not hurt."

Aragorn was looking at Frodo with a confused gaze. "That blow would have skewered a boar."

Gandalf smiled as he chuckled out, "I think there's more to this Hobbit than meets the eye."

Frodo lifted his shirt to reveal a beautifully crafted…well, Ireth wasn't sure what it was, but it was beautiful and looked almost like chainmail.

"Mithril!" Gimli said in an awed breath.

Ireth jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"I apologize, I didn't mean to startle you." Legolas spoke.

Ireth smiled at him weakly, "It's alright. I..uhm..are you unhurt?"

He grinned, nodding that he was, indeed, unhurt. However, it seemed that his eyes see everything for the grin quickly vanished as his hand shot out to look at her bleeding wound. She flinched, her eyes lowering to stare at the ground.

"It will need stitching." He spoke with a frown.

"Quickly," Ganadalf's voice boomed, "To the bridge of Khazad-dum!"

"Ireth is hurt." Legolas spoke, gaining everyone's attention.

Stubbornly, Ireth scowled. "It's just a scratch. We can worry about it when we leave the mines."

They left the room, running through the wide open expanse of the great hall. Ireth's side burned unimaginably painful for such a small wound, and was beginning to wonder if she should have just allowed them to fuss over her.

Orcs began pouring into the hall from everywhere imaginable, crawling down from the ceiling and cracks in the ground—soon they were completely surrounded. Ireth had never let go of her knife, even when they ran, and now held it up again defensively. They seemed to be waiting, or maybe goading them, but they never got the chance to strike. A low growl and the sudden presence of a light all the way at the end of the hall had the orcs screeching and climbing over each other to flee.

"What is this new devilry?" Boromir spoke to Gandalf, who was looking towards the light with a small gleam of horror in his eye.

"A Balrog. A demon of the ancient world. This foe is beyond any of you. Run!" Gandalf commanded.

Ireth sheathed her knife and held a hand to her wound as she ran at the back of the group. She could feel the heat of this Balrog thing behind her. It made her nervous, pumping adrenaline through her body. She followed, breathing in sharply when she saw Boromir nearly fall to his death if it weren't for Legolas catching him. They went down another flight of steps, Legolas jumping a gap, and motioning for Gandalf to jump next. To top off the Balrog behind them, Orcs began to fire arrows from across the cavern.

Boromir grabbed Merry and Pippin, jumping across with them. Aragorn made to throw Gimli, but he interrupted loudly. "No one tosses a Dwarf!"

He jumped, but began to fall backwards. Legolas grabbed his beard. "Not the beard!"

Aragorn motioned for Ireth to go, but before she could even prepare herself to jump, a piece of the ceiling fell and Ireth and Aragorn had to jump to safety, backwards. More rocks fell as the Balrog's booming steps shook the mines. Soon they were stranded. Ireth was on the verge of panic, and her wound wasn't helping the situation at all. She could feel the blood running down her stomach and sticking her shirt to her chest. Not only that but she could feel herself weakening, as if she could fall asleep at any moment.

The stairs beneath them began to shake; the section of stairs started shifting with its foundation cracked. They rocked back and forth for moments before Aragorn told them to lean forward. With a groan, the stairs pitched forward and crashed into their destination, pitching Aragorn and Frodo forward into Legolas and Boromir. Ireth jumped, feeling the stairs beneath her start to fall over. Time seemed to slow as her body stretched across the open air, her side creaking with protest. For a brief moment she thought she wouldn't make it, but when her torso slammed onto the stone steps, her legs dangly over the side and her breath gone, she knew she made it just enough. Hands pulled her up, ushering her forward, and soon the bridge was in sight.

Ireth stepped aside, trying to catch her breath before she crossed, a hand held to her chest as she tried to get her lungs to work.

"Go, Ireth," Gandalf spoke, ushering her forward.

Something stirred at the back of her mind. The wizard had been lagging behind since the Balrog appeared when usually he would lead them. She began to worry. Ireth cared for everyone she'd come to meet that day so many weeks ago when she awoke, even the dwarf, and she didn't want to see any of them dead.

On the other side of the bridge, Ireth quickly turned around to see Gandalf standing in the middle of the bridge holding up his staff and sword, with the Balrog roaring in front of him. She became deaf. Her eyes remained glued to Gandalf's form. She could barely comprehend Gandalf's words as he commanded the Balrog.

"YOU SHALL NOT PASS!"

He slammed his staff and sword down on the bridge. At first, nothing happened, but when the Balrog stepped upon the bridge, a loud shifting of stone penetrated Ireth's ears and she watched with relief beginning to run through her as the Balrog fell.

Hurry, Gandalf, hurry. Come over here. Ireth thought as he slowly turned around.

The relief Ireth was feeling soon dissipated as a loud cracking of the whip sounded and the flaming rope circled around Gandalf's leg, tripping him. Ireth acted on instinct and ran back onto the bridge, knocking Aragorn's hand away.

"Fly, you fools!"

Ireth dove for Gandalfs' hands, nearly sliding off the bridge as she reached for him. Her fingers grazed his gnarled knuckles, and all Ireth could do was watch as Gandalf disappeared into the dark abyss.

Numb. Numb is what she felt. She didn't feel anything else. Not when Aragorn grabbed her and practically hauled her out like a sack of potatoes, not even when her wound was pressed on or scraped against from her rough handling. Aragorn set her down as they came to the opening, and after only a moment's hesitation, followed Aragorn and the others into the daylight.

Ireth watched everyone silently. Merry, Pippin and Sam openly wept, a stunned look upon Legolas face and…her gaze cut to Frodo. She found herself walking over to his side, following his steps.

He looked heartbroken.

"Frodo." She spoke softly, her voice not even hinting at the sorrow she felt. She'd had years of practice to hide her turmoil. "I know how you feel. It hurts, and yet it feels numb at the same time."

He looked up at her, tears in his eyes. He didn't say anything.

"Gandalf isn't truly gone." She placed a hand where his heart thudded. "He will always be right here."

Ireth could hear Aragorn gathering everyone. She put a comforting hand on Frodo's shoulder.

"Frodo," Aragorn called, "Ireth!"

She guided Frodo back to the group and they soon made their way to a place called Lothlórien. They practically ran the whole way, it was long and grueling and did not help with the wound on Ireth's side. The front of her tunic was practically soaked with her own blood. By the time they reached, the Golden Wood, Ireth felt irritated and weak. She had managed to hide how bad her wound was from the others but occasionally she would meet Legolas eyes, which would narrow at her as if he suspected something. She would try to appease his suspicion with a shy smile, and then busy herself with talking to Frodo, angling her wounded side away from Legolas' ever watchful gaze.

As they reached the edge of a forest, their pace slowed. She walked behind everyone else, blinking every few seconds to stay awake.

"Ireth?" She heard Frodo's voice and looked down beside her.

"Yes, Frodo?"

He seemed deep in thought. "You did not seem sad to see Gandalf gone."

He had said it with no filter, which hit Ireth hard, mentally. She thought about how to answer this, and then spoke slowly.

"I was devastated." She paused, smiling weakly when Frodo looked at her. She stared at the ground before her feet, speaking quietly, more so to herself than to Frodo. "It has been a very long time since I have let myself shed tears."

As they walked deeper into the woods, Gimli started speaking of an elven woman, rumored to be a witch. As he continued speaking of her, Ireth felt like they were being watched, thought she didn't feel threatened. Actually, all she felt right now was exhaustion.

Gimli's voice drifted into her ear, as if he were far away, "I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox…Oh!"

Ireth stopped walking, noticing they were surrounded by elves, all pointing arrows at them. She blinked slowly, her gaze shifting from the two elves that watched her closely. They looked suspicious of her. She was sure she did. She was probably pale from blood loss, she may also appear to be glaring at them, when in all actuality she didn't have the energy to even move the muscles in her face. On top of that she had her cloak closed around her to hide her blood stained shirt. They were almost to this Lothlórien place. She just needed to hold out a little longer.

"The Dwarf breathes so loud, we could have shot him in the dark." A new voice spoke. And then he spoke in a language that Ireth didn't understand, speaking to Legolas and Aragorn. The language was beautiful, Ireth found herself shutting her eyes and listening to its sounds. It was almost musical, in a way.

Then Gimli spoke and her eyes opened. "So much for the courtesy of elves!" He spoke in another language, different from the elves and was quickly reprimanded by Aragorn. The man who she assumed had spoken first approached her and spoke in that musical language. She didn't understand what he said, but she was saved from needing to answer him when she felt the world tip sideways.

When Ireth opened her eyes, she was being carried by Legolas. She blinked, watching him closely. His jaw was set tightly and she could tell that he was angry.

"I can wa—" She cut herself off at the look she received from the elf.

"You are in no condition to walk, Ireth." He spoke lowly. "You could have died."

She put a hand to her left side where she'd been scratched. It was bandaged with some sort of cloth, but from the slight dampness of it, she could tell she was still bleeding. Her cut couldn't have been that bad, could it?

She spoke in a low, slow voice. "I did not want to be a burden on anyone."

"If that were true, you would have told us immediately instead of allowing yourself to bleed out."

Ireth flinched. She'd never intended for that to happen. She had been determined to make it to Lothlórien. Of course, she didn't and now she was twice the burden she wanted to avoid. She kept her mouth shut and looked at her hands; she was shaking slightly with the emotions she felt and clenched at her shirt to stop them. She heard Legolas sigh, "I am sorry, Ireth."

She didn't answer, or even look at him. She just stared at her hands blankly, deep in thought until something caught her eye. She looked up in awe at the Elvish City they walked through. It was beautiful, with glowing lanterns lighting the area and giving the whole place a golden ethereal glow. There were long stairs that twined around large trees—trees bigger than Ireth has ever seen before. And then they came upon what must have been the biggest tree in the forest. It had a beautiful silver archway which reflected the lantern lights beautifully. It all seemed so ethereal and magical, Ireth started to wonder if she had started to dream or if in reality she had actually died.

Two figures, dressed in white, gracefully made their way down the stairs. Ireth watched intrigued, feeling herself get drowsy once again. She wondered who these people were and why her companions wished to see them. The man spoke, but Ireth ignored him; he wished to know about Gandalf and she was not opening that jar.

"He has fallen into shadow." A lovely voice spoke. It was the words that caused Ireth to remember watching the old wizard fall, her hand stretching towards him in vain. Ireth flinched, squeezing her eyes shut as she inhaled sharply.

This drew Legolas attention, and someone else as well.

"Bring her to the healing house. She will recover her strength soon, do not fear." It was that same lovely voice she had heard.

Ireth felt herself being passed to other arms and was quickly taken somewhere else. She opened her eyes, seeing a stranger instead of Legolas. She wanted to ask who this person was but before she could answer, the background of trees behind this elf's head turned into a cloth looking ceiling. She was laid upon a bed, and the elf left. He was soon replaced with three female elves, who started speaking in that musical language. They began to undress her, gasping as they revealed her wounds. With a little effort, Ireth lifted her head and looked.

Maybe she shouldn't have.

Her entire chest was black and purple—probably from when she jumped on the stairs, and her scratch was a scratch, barely the length of her forefinger, but it was deep and looked agitated, possibly infected. Her leg only sported a large yellowing bruise, from when she'd fallen at the gates of Moria. All together it looked horrible, but they were all isolated incidents, not from one blow. Ireth laid her head back down and warily watched the elves begin to work.

They mixed herbs quickly and began to slather onto her wounds, eliciting a hiss of pain from Ireth. Then they began to chant in that beautiful language of theirs. She could feel something happening to her body. She wasn't sure but it hurt. It hurt a lot—to the point she wanted to cry. She started to thrash, trying to get away from the pain, and this seemed to take the elves off guard, exchanging worried glances, but they continued to chant, grabbing her limbs to hold her down. The pain became too much, and Ireth felt herself slip into unconsciousness.


	5. Swords

Ireth awoke with a start, sitting up faster than she intended. Her head swam, and she nearly fell over if a hand hadn't held her steady.

"Thank you," Ireth spoke, looking to the hands owner. It was a woman; she looked familiar. Ireth knew she'd seen her from somewhere, her long golden hair was flawless and seemed to glow by itself.

"I am Lady Galadriel." She spoke softly with a smile, and Ireth recognized her voice from when she first arrived in the elvish city, Lothlórien. "You have been unconscious for two days. Your wounds were small, but deep."

Lady Galadriel paused, looking at Ireth with curiosity. "You have reacted differently to elvish healing than anyone has ever before."

Galadriel leaned forward, gently caressing the butterfly necklace at Ireth's throat. "Though the magic healed your wounds, it caused you great pain. I've spoken with your companions and I would like very much to hear how you came upon the fellowship."

It took Ireth a moment to register that, though she heard the Lady Galadriels' voice, her mouth did not move, nor did it appear her throat was moving. Was this what Gimli had meant by a Sorceress in the woods? If so, Ireth didn't feel any reason to fear the Lady, in fact, she felt as if she could trust this elf, with all of her origins. And so she told her, with only the slightest hesitation. When she was finished, Galadriel sat quietly on her bedside, and smiled gently at her.

"There is no way of knowing truly why you were sent here, but the Valar would not take another stars' child without reason to." Her gaze flit down to the butterfly pendant. "Your Fëa was greatly damaged in your home world, perhaps, they wished to heal that. Or perhaps there is a greater purpose in our world."

Ireth was silent as she listened to Lady Galadriel speak, but she couldn't wrap around her head the idea that she was meant to help with their world; she didn't even know what she was supposed to help with!

Lady Galadriel smiled at her, standing. "Your companion's will be resting down by the riverside, they will remain here for several weeks before they set out to continue their journey."

Galadriel turned and left the small room Ireth lay in. With a breath, Ireth moved her legs over the side of the bed, surprised to find herself completely healed. And in a dress. It was simple yet somehow beautiful. Its color was a deep green and complemented her skin color nicely. Ireth walked about the room, testing her strength, but it seemed as though she'd just drank an energy drink and now felt full of energy. The door to her room opened once again, revealing a beautiful elf. She started speaking in that musical language Ireth was beginning to understand as the elvish language. A little panicked at the language barrier, she spoke, "I'm sorry, I don't understand you."

The elf raised her brows in surprised, but smiled none the less, "I had said, Milady, it is good to see you awake."

Ireth blushed in embarrassment. She was an elf now after all; she should know the language.

"Your injuries were quite horrible for an elleth of your standing, but I suppose if you were to join such a dangerous journey you were prepared for the consequences." The Elf spoke kindly, guiding her to a cracked door. Ireth was surprised to find a sort of bathroom behind the door. "Please have a seat Milady."

Ireth sat, opening her mouth to protest at the nobility the elf maiden thought she was, but quickly shut it when she caught her reflection. Was that actually her? She'd always been of medium height and so wasn't all that surprised to see the elf beside her to be quite taller, but her hair had always been a dark brown, sometimes black. Now it seems to have been sun-kissed, with golden streaks lightening the dark color. Her eyes had the biggest change; they'd been a light brown, but now they were hazel, more green than brown and it was shocking to see.

Not noticing the stunned expression on her face the elf maiden, grabbed a brush and began to brush the long length of Ireth's hair.

"I've never seen hair such as yours Milady. It's very beautiful." She smiled, "Oh! Where are my manners? I am Tarí. I'll be attending to you until you make your decision."

Ireth smiled at Tarí, "My name is Ireth. Though, I don't understand; what decision do you speak of?"

The elleth smiled but refrained from speaking more. They sat in a comfortable silence as Tarí brushed out her hair. Ireth looked over her reflection. She had lost weight, at least in her face, which she was thankful for losing her chubby cheeks. When Tarí presented the circlet, Ireth protested.

"But Milady! It's only proper! And I thought this was the circlet you wore when you arrived unless I am mistaken?"

Ireth paused, looking at the intricate metalworking. There were several strands of silver, twisted together in curls and knots all adjoining in the center where a jade green stone, barely the size of her thumbnail, rested. It was beautiful. And when Tarí placed it on her forehead, it was like a blanket of warmth was wrapped around her.

"Now come, your friends have been concerned for you. Especially Lord Legolas." She said with a suggestive smile. Ireth felt the blood rush to her face.

"We are just companions." Then she paused, "Wait, Lord?"

The elleth nodded, tilting her head with question. "He is the prince of the woodland realm. Did you not know?"

Ireth shook her head, surprised. Legolas is a prince? Why didn't he tell her? Ireth stood to follow Tarí out of the room. She led her down a small hall where it opened up to reveal stairs spiraling down to the ground.

"Will you be able to find your way, Milady?" Tarí asked.

Ireth smiled, nodding her head as she could hear Merry and Pippin practicing sword-fighting with Boromir. She picked up her skirts, and made her way down the steps quickly, following the clang of swords.

Upon seeing them, Ireth smiled, and sat down to watch them. They were getting pretty good at blocking, and getting out of Boromir's arm range, but she could also tell he was holding himself back from truly fighting with a sword. Not only that, he was encouraging them. At first, Ireth had been wary of Boromir, he seemed to stare at her with a strange expression and though it unnerved her just a bit, she found him a reliable companion to have.

A silver cup was held in front of her face. She looked up with surprise at the light smile on Legolas face. "Thank you."

"How are you fairing, Lady Ireth?"

She smiled faintly, automatically rubbing at the area that once held her wound. "Much better."

He sat beside her, quietly watching Boromir and the Hobbits with her.

"Why didn't you tell me you are a prince?" She opened her mouth before she even realized she said it, and now she was really wishing she'd never left her bed.

"My status as a prince was unnecessary given the journey we were on."

That answer, she knew, was all that she would be able to get at him, but something else caught her attention in his words. It reminded her…

"What, exactly, kind of journey were you on before I came along?" She tilted her head to look at him but the soft expression on his face turned steely and she knew she'd asked the wrong question, and so came to a conclusion, "I am not allowed to know."

"I'm sorry, Ireth, but it is for the best." He truly did look sorrowful. No he looked troubled, but Ireth didn't know what for.

"I understand." She spoke softly, looking back to the Hobbits practice session, or what was their practice session; they seemed to have disappeared. Ireth, stood brushing off her skirt of invisible dirt and looked down at Legolas with a smile, "I think I want to learn how to fight with a sword."

Legolas raised a brow, a smile starting to form on his face as he stood. "Are you sure? It is no easy feat to learn how to fight."

Ireth shrugged her shoulder's, "I already know how to defend myself without a weapon. It's with a weapon I need to learn."

"If you'll forgive me for saying so, Ireth, I don't think it would be—"

She cut him off, determined to learn. "I wish to learn, besides, I don't think I'll be staying here. I want to know how to defend myself, and other's if need be." In her mind's eye she could see Gandalf holding on to the broken bridge. She shook the image away.

"If that is the case," A new voice spoke, "Then I will teach you."

Ireth and Legolas turned around to see a tall elf wearing armor and a long red cape.

"Haldir." Legolas spoke, bowing his head. Ireth figured he was important somehow and so bowed her head slightly, feeling a little uneasy.

"You seem to be faring much better than when we first met, Lady Ireth." He spoke, bowing his head to her in turn. That's when Ireth remembered him. He had spoken to her in elvish before she had passed out.

"I am, thank you." It still irked her that they called her 'Lady', but there wasn't much she could do about it. Haldir seemed to be staring at her carefully, and it made her want to fidget slightly.

"Forgive me for asking, Milady, but your circlet is the same you arrived with yet..." He paused, and now she could feel her cheeks heating as now Legolas was also looking at her.

"It was black when you arrived here, and now it is purple." Haldir continued.

"That is strange," Legolas mused, "When we first met the gem was a pale blue."

Ireth blinked, touching the stone at her forehead in confusion, "It was green, just some time ago."

"Do you know who you received your circlet from?" Haldir asked her as he motioned for her to follow him. She looked back at Legolas, who nodded for her to follow, "I'll see you later, there are things I must tend to." He went in another direction.

"I do not. I awoke in Hollin with it on." She wondered if she were to keep her being from another world secret or if it was okay to speak of it.

"You need not worry," Haldir spoke as if he could read her mind. "The Lady of Light has informed me of your strange past. If you are asked, you are to say you are from Lorien. Lady Galadriel will vouch for you."

Ireth felt grateful, but she wasn't sure if she'd be able to lie to anyone. Especially Legolas.

 _Do not fret, Ireth. Things will be revealed in time, for now trust in yourself._

"Here we are." Haldir spoke. Ireth blinked, looking at what appeared to be some sort of metalworking shop. A tall elf approached Haldir and they spoke in elvish, they glanced to Ireth a couple of times and this made her anxious. What were they speaking? Haldir turned to her, holding out his hands, "May I?"

"Oh yes," She spoke quickly, gently taking the circlet from her head and placing it in his open hands. She felt cold all of a sudden, as if she were back on the mountain side of Caradhras. As she thought about it, it surprised her how long ago it felt that happened, when in reality, it's only been, at the least, five days.

The elf studied the circlet closely, mainly paying attention to the gem. After a few minutes he spoke again to Haldir, taking something that looked like a hammer and slammed it down on the crown with as much force as he could. Ireth gasped in shock. Not because the elf was about to smash the circlet, no, she felt the elf knew what he was doing. It was the reaction from the crown that made her gasp. A loud echoing ring had nearly deafened them all, and then the circlet emitted a bright light, tossing the elf back into Haldir.

Ireth held her hands over her mouth in shock, though it soon turned into relief when she noticed the metalworking elf was laughing. He stood quickly, giving Haldir a hand up, a grin on his face. He handed the unharmed circlet back to me and spoke quickly, but Ireth wasn't sure what he was saying and so just smiled and nodded at the grinning elf. She placed the circlet back on her head, nearly exhaling at the warm relief that surrounded her. Haldir escorted her away, bringing her back to where her friends were resting, "What exactly happened?"

Haldir sighed, shaking his head. "Your circlet is infused with protective magic; the stone is a link to you. It reflects your emotions and Fëa. When we met, the stone was black reflecting that you were close to death." He looked at her forehead again. "Now the stone is green."

"I've been meaning to ask," Ireth asked lightly, "what is a Fëa?"

"It's the elvish word for soul." Haldir supplied.

Ireth looked at him concerned, pausing in her steps. "When lady Galadriel had spoken with me, she told me that my Fëa had been damaged from my old home."

Haldir placed a consoling hand on her shoulder, "It is possible that you are healing, and that is why it is not reflected through your circlet." Haldir changed the subject, sensing her unease with the question. "Now, I believe you wished to have lessons with the sword. However, it would not do to learn in a dress, I believe Lady Galadriel had a wardrobe prepared for you up in your room. Go now and change."

With a small smile, Ireth nodded her thanks and went to find Tarí, for she had no idea where her room was.

It'd been two weeks since Ireth had started training with Haldir. Everyone had been surprised that she'd picked up so much in such a short time, even she had been surprised. Of course she was nowhere near close to the skill that Haldir was, but she was able to block his moves and much to his chagrin, get out of the range of his sword. It was easy for her to get out of his range, she used much of the lessons her old sensei had taught her, and this allowed her to move in and out of his range when need be.

"You have grown quite well in your defense." Haldir had said just a few days ago, "Now you must work on your offensive."

Ireth had been nervous when she first attacked Haldir with her sword, but after he reassured her that the blades would not harm him, she let herself focus on learning. Once again, everyone had been surprised. Ireth was quite vicious in her attacks, her blows much more frequent than Haldir had been prepared for. At the end of the day they were both breathing hard; Ireth's much more prominent than Haldir's.

The more she grew in her sword fighting skills, the more confident she grew. Her friends had noticed this as well as she spoke more freely than ever. Though she was still shy towards the elves she didn't really know, she wasn't as timid as she once was.

Haldir dismissed her from their training, and with a large grin, she went off in search of the river. She had come to have a routine after that first day of training. She would train with Haldir and whoever decided to join and then afterwards, she would dip her feet in the wide river on the far side of Lorien to cool herself off.

She sat in silence, shutting her eyes and listening to the sounds around her. It was so peaceful here, Ireth couldn't remember a time when she felt so secure. It surprised her that she found herself wishing to remain here, but she also found herself wanting to accompany her companions as well on their quest. With the skills she's learned, she won't be a burden on their shoulders and maybe they'd even tell her exactly what their quest was for.

She felt a presence beside her and found Legolas sitting with a leg up, leaning against the tree. "Hello."

He looked at her with a soft smile, "I hear your sessions with Haldir are going well."

A smile spread across her face as she nodded, "Indeed."

Her smile dampened when she noticed the serious expression on his face. "What is it?"

He seemed troubled, as if he wished to ask her something. She turned to him fully, watching him with curious eyes, waiting for him to speak.

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you since we first started our journey." He started slowly, watching her growing confusion. "When I first spoke to you, it was in Sindarin, the language of the elves, but you seemed to not understand a word I said."

Ireth bit her lip, not sure how to answer his statement without lying to him. "I don't know Sindarin."

She really didn't like the way he was looking at her with those blue eyes of his. It was like he was trying to puzzle something together. It made her nervous. More nervous than usual; if Legolas knew that she wasn't from the same world as him; if he knew she had been human before she was an elf, would he be repulsed by her? No, she thought, Legolas wasn't the type. He may be hurt that she didn't share this with him, but she couldn't figure out his true reaction.

"Lady Ireth? The Lady Galadriel wishes to see you." An elleth spoke from behind them. As Ireth stood quickly, Legolas hand reached out and grabbed her hand. He had a serious expression on his face.

"We'll discuss this later."

She nodded and quickly followed after the elleth.


	6. Galadriel's Mirror

**So heads up,**

 **this is an emotional chapter...or at least I attempted it so yea...**

Lady Galadriel stood with a pitcher in her hands, a meaningful glint in her eyes as Ireth approached. Ireth smiled, bowing her head in respect.

"Will you look into the Mirror, Ireth?" The Lady of Light asked as she poured water into what appeared to be an altar beside her. Ireth swallowed, not sure what Lady Galadriel meant. Did she want her to look at her reflection?

Galadriel grinned, "The Mirror shows the past, the present, and sometimes things that have yet to pass. Will you look?"

Ireth took a breath, summoning the power to be brave; she would look into the Mirror. Calming herself, Ireth stepped forward and looked into the gathered water. At first she saw nothing, but then images started to flicker in and out and suddenly she could see everything as if she were right there witnessing the accounts. She was seeing the past; the part of the past she did not want to see at all.

 _She was watching through her own point of view. She was sitting in the back seat of her mothers' SUV, playing peek-a-boo with her two year old brother. Her mother was humming softly under her breath, holding her father's hand as he drove their car to her Aunt's house. It would have been the first time she met her Aunt and Uncle, though from her mother's stories, Ireth felt like she already knew her Aunt well. She was excited to meet her, practically buzzing in her seat with it._

 _"You buckled up there, Caterpillar?" Her dad called over his shoulder._

 _She looked up at her dad with a cheesy grin, "Oops."_

 _Her mother sighed, "Now, Ireth. You know what we've told you. All—"_

 _"Always buckle up when you get in the car." She recited. "I know, I'm sorry, Mama. I forgot, I'm just so excited to see Aunt Muriel!"_

 _Her mother looked at her over the seat with a raised brow, "Seat belt, young lady."_

 _With another sheepish grin, Ireth twisted around to grab the belt and pull it over her chest. She looked up to meet her Dad's eye in the review mirror, but all she saw were the bright beams of headlights._

 _All she heard were the screech of tires, her mother's shout for her father to look out; the blare of the horn and ripping metal. Then she was flying._

 _She couldn't think of anything. She couldn't comprehend what had just happened. The only thing she could do was feel the wind whipping around her and then nothing at all. Her vision went black._

 _When she opened her eyes again, she couldn't feel her body at all, but she could see. And she wished she couldn't. The front end of her mother's SUV was completely caved in, the whole car on its back. All the windows were shattered, and the only thing she could truly see clearly was her baby brother's arm hanging limply with his teddy bear still clutched in his small hand._

The Mirror rippled and soon Ireth was looking at a familiar scene.

 _She ran into the street and stopped mid-step as the head lights of an eighteen-wheeler headed straight towards her. Ireth thought this was weird, because unlike the first vision, she was seeing this as another person. The truck had started to brake but not soon enough and Ireth watched in horror as her human self was hit by the truck. She knew immediately that she had died. There was no way that Ireth would have been able to survive that._

The Mirror shifted to another scene, one that took Ireth by surprise and made her cover her mouth to hide her trembling lips.

 _Her Aunt stood in front of Ireth's grave. Her face was red and wet from crying and it made Ireth tremble with emotion. Her uncle placed a hand on her Aunt's shoulder, but she shrugged it off and turned to him._

 _"I was so cruel!" She sobbed, "My sister's only living child, gone!"_

 _Her Uncle sighed, and pulled her into a hug. "You were angry, it's all right. It's alright."_

 _Her aunt sobbed harder, "It will never be alright! I was angry, I was angry with Agnes; my Aggie. We…told each other…everything! Everything! And when I found out...found out she had children! A ten year old, for Christ's sake! I had to find out...after she'd died! I took my anger out on her and…"_

 _She stopped abruptly, trying to catch her breath. "It was so hard. She looked exactly like her when we were her age. I just…I couldn't bare it; it was like she was there, haunting me!"_

 _Her husband could only take a breath, and hold her tight. "She's with her family now. In a better place."_

 _Her aunt took a shaky breath, "I never told her. I never told her how much she meant to me; I treated her so badly, but truly, I did love her! And now! Now she'll never know! And oh God! What have I done! Dan, she was so young! She was only 20 and I killed her!"_

 _Dan grabbed his wife's shoulders tightly and looked her in the eye. "You did not kill her, don't you ever say that! It was an accident."_

 _"But it is my fault! I didn't love her the way I should have!" She broke out into more sobs. "I didn't love her the way her mother did, I didn't give her the affection she needed!"_

 _Ireth covered her mouth with her hands, holding in the tears that wanted to leak from her eyes._

The scene, ended and she was once again in the presence of Lady Galadriel. Ireth opened her mouth and then shut it. What was she supposed to say? She'd just witnessed her Aunt confessing her love for her; confessing the mistakes she's made; revealing her reasons for disliking her. No she didn't dislike her. All these years, her Aunt had been distraught at her presence. Ireth didn't deny that she was the spitting image of her mother; she'd received enough comments to know that for fact. But for her aunt? For her Aunt to see her dead twin sister every day; the twin sister who she wrote letters to every month; the twin sister who she shared her wedding alter with; the twin sister she had planned on dying with; for her to see her "ghost" almost every day, knowing that she wasn't truly there. It must have been horrifying; a constant stab of pain to her heart.

Ireth understood now. She understood her Aunt and why she was the way she was, and it was like something had been taken off her shoulder's, a heavy weight gone and it wasn't like anything she'd ever felt before. It was…relieving. She took a deep breath and looked at Lady Galadriel, who held a solemn look on her face.

"I can't tell her I forgive her, can I?" Her voice was tight from the struggle to retain her tears.

Lady Galadriel smiled, approaching her and guiding her away from the Mirror, "It is alright to weep, young one. Tears of joy; tears of sorrow; tears of anger; they are nothing to be ashamed of. Now go and rest easy."

Ireth bowed to Lady Galadriel, quickly turning to find her rooms. She kept her eyes on the ground, not wanting to meet anyone's eye. She could feel it; the jar she pushed all of her emotions in; she could feel it starting to break. She wanted to be alone when that happened. She found the familiar stairs that lead to her rooms, but the sound of her name being called brought her head up. She saw just a few feet away, Legolas and Aragorn, walking towards her. Her emotions were too overwhelming. Years of holding in so many tears, so much anger and perhaps even spitefulness, it all came rushing forward.

Legolas and Aragorn paused at the look on Ireth's face. She turned and ran up the steps, ignoring Aragorn's calls. She ran as fast as she could, she was about to open her door, but Legolas proved quicker. He grabbed her shoulder, spinning her around, "Ireth? Ireth, what troubles you?"

She covered her face as she burst into tears. She'd never cried so violently before; not at her parents funeral; not when her aunt had been cruel; not when Gandalf fell. It was as if all the sorrow she felt in her life had come rushing forward and poured out of her soul. She barely registered the feel of Legolas holding her in a soft embrace, rubbing the back of her hair, and whispering to her in Sindarin.

She couldn't fathom why she was crying. She should be joyful that her Aunt didn't truly despise her being. That's what this had been about, wasn't it? Her aunt couldn't stand it when she cried and in order to please her she forbid herself from doing so. She couldn't return to that world, Ireth knew that, was that why she was crying? No, that wasn't it either.

"Ireth," Legolas spoke softly, "Why are you upset?"

Of all the things he was expecting, laughter probably wasn't it. She looked up at him, her eyes red and puffy, "This whole time…this whole time, I thought my Aunt didn't like me. I thought…"

A look of confusion crossed Legolas face, "Your Aunt?"

"She was hurting. She was hurting this whole time, and I didn't know!"

"Ireth, please," Legolas guided her into her room for privacy, shutting the door slightly behind him. "I don't understand what you're telling me."

Ireth let it out, she let it all out. "I haven't been honest. Not at all. That day you found me in Hollin; I don't even know how I got there! I'm not from this world! I was at my home; my Aunt's house, and I was crossing the road… and I was hit…I died!"

She shook her head, "And my aunt! Ten years before…before this, my family died! I was there, and I survived. I survived, but they didn't and it isn't fair!"

There was a stunned look on Legolas face as he watched all the turmoil, all the guilt, that Ireth held deep within her start to tear her apart, mentally. He knelt in front of her, prying her hands away from her face and wiped away her tears.

"I know there is nothing I can say that can console you for your loss," He spoke gently, tucking a stray hair away from her face. "But I can listen. I can listen to whatever it is you wish to speak of, and everyone else is also here; Merry and Pippin; Frodo and Sam; Boromir, Gimli and Aragorn. They are here for you, whether you believe it or not. You are not alone, Ireth. Know that."

He kissed her forehead, and stood to leave. Ireth had fell mostly silent as she listened to Legolas. Her ragged breathes were loud in the quiet, her cheeks stinging at the tears that streamed freely down her face. The soft click of the door closing behind Legolas was when she sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. She wiped her face with her hands, undressing herself to change into night clothes despite it still being daylight hours. She climbed into her bed and slowly allowed herself to process everything she had felt since looking into Galadriel's Mirror.

Ireth didn't wake up until mid-morning the next day. She was exhausted and knew she must look like it as well, what with the concerned look Tarí was giving her.

"Are you well, Milady?" She asked, placing her hands on her forehead. With a yawn, Ireth pushed Tarí's hand away, and stood from the bed.

"I am fine. I just have a lot on my mind." Ireth's voice was hoarse and even to her own ears sounded bad; a blind person could tell she'd been crying.

"Maybe a warm bath will help, Milady." Tarí suggested, leading the down trodden Ireth to a tub that was already filled with water. On normal occasion's, Ireth would tell Tarí to leave, being able to undress and wash herself. But for today she allowed the elleth to undress her and guide her into the water. Ireth drew her knees up and rested her cheek on them, as Tarí began to detangle her hair, and then wet it to begin washing it.

A sadness grew in her chest. The last time her hair had been washed by someone else was when she was eight and her mother was teaching her how to correctly wash her hair. The memory drew a smile on her face, but a few tears slipped out from her eyes.

 _"Hush now, my baby, be still love, don't cry._

 _Sleep like you're rocked by the stream,_

 _Sleep and remember my lullaby and_

 _I'll be with you when you dream."_

Ireth sighed, she used to love that lullaby. Her mother would sing it to her almost every night and…it'd been so long since she'd thought of it. A soft smile spread across her face. She should sing it more often. In a weird way, it brought her a sense of comfort. Ireth always thought that any memories of her family would hurt, and so she blocked them all away. Maybe she was wrong.

"That was beautiful, Milady." Tarí spoke softly.

Ireth stiffened, lifting her head. "Did I say that out loud?"

Tarí grinned, "You sang it, Milady. If I may ask, what was that?"

"It was a lullaby my mother used to sing to me before she died." Ireth sighed, leaning back in the tub.

Hesitantly, Tarí spoke, "May I hear it?"

Ireth looked back, a little surprised. "You want me to sing?"

At Tarí's nod, Ireth felt the blood rush to her cheeks, "I'm not very good at it."

"That's alright, Milady, it's just us two here."

Ireth bit her lip before she sighed in defeat. "Alright, alright.

 _Hush now, my baby,_

 _Be still love, don't cry;_

 _Sleep like you're rocked by the stream;_

 _Sleep and remember my lullaby,_

 _And I'll be with you when you dream._

 _Drift on a river that flows through my arms;_

 _Drift as I'm singing to you._

 _I see you smiling, so peaceful and calm,_

 _And holding you, I'm smiling too._

 _Here in my arms, safe from all harm;_

 _Holding you, I'm smiling too._

 _Hush now, my baby, be still love don't cry,_

 _Sleep like you're rocked by the stream;_

 _Sleep and remember this river lullaby,_

 _And I'll be with you when you dream._

 _I'll be with you when you dream."_

Ireth didn't remember shutting her eyes, but when she opened them, she wasn't surprised to feel a few tears stray from her eyes. She quickly wiped them away and let out a little laugh.

"I don't know why, Tarí, but I feel like I've finally opened my eyes." She looked over her shoulder at the smiling elleth. They both let out a laugh.

"Alright, let's get you out of this water before you start to prune."

Laughing, Ireth got out of the tub, wrapping herself in the soft towels Tarí provided for her. She dressed herself in her leggings and tunic, ready to begin her practice with Haldir—she was already late.

"Wait, wait, Milady! Your hair!" Ireth paused fingering the wet strands. Tarí practically pounced on top of her, grabbing the wet strands and weaving them into an intricate braid. "And don't forget this."

Gently, Tarí placed her circlet on her forehead. With a grin, she shooed Ireth out the door.


	7. Immortality and Agarwaen

"You're late."

Ireth swallowed. Haldir was frightening, in fact he reminded her a lot of her dad, now that she thought about it. At least when he was put out with her. Like he is now.

"I have no excuses." She said, wisely. Well, she was pretty sure looking into Galadriel's Mirror, having all of your emotional trauma thrown in your face and then crying yourself to sleep was a good excuse, but she wasn't ready to share that. She already shared it with Legolas and she was pretty sure she'd frightened him off as she hadn't even caught a glimpse of him.

"Good. You have a new spar partner." Haldir spoke, turning on a dime and leaving the make shift arena.

"Wait, what?" Ireth turned following him to the edge of the arena.

"I believe you will be sparring with me today."

Ireth whipped around at the sound of Aragorn's voice. Ireth felt really nervous all of a sudden. Aragorn was a really good swordsman. She'd seen glimpses of him fighting in Moria, and she didn't even want to spar with him. She'd be flattened, like a pancake.

"I can see you're nervous." He said with a smile.

"Yes, well, you're a very skilled warrior." Ireth said nervously.

He raised a brow, a grin on his face. "And Haldir is not?"

She opened her mouth to protest and then closed it. Damn it, she didn't have an excuse not to face him.

The familiar sound of wind on metal had her automatically raising her sword to block. She blinked at Aragorn. There was a challenging look on his face. "If you don't wish to learn, how will you protect anyone? That is why you wanted to learn in the first place, wasn't it?"

Ireth huffed, pushing Aragorn away. "Okay, I see your point."

For hours they sparred with each other. Well, Ireth sparred, Aragorn just moved around a bit and blocked her attacks. Every now and then, Aragorn would give her pointers, grinning when she did one movement almost perfectly on her first try. Only twice has Ireth gotten the upper hand, but it soon diminished as she'd loose her footing, or hesitated with the amount of strength she put in to her attack.

"Remember," Aragorn had told her when she'd fallen from one of his attacks, her sword sliding across the ground, "your opponents will take any chance they get to strike you down, especially if they are Orcs, or worse."

Ireth, propping herself up on her elbows, blew hair out of her face, "But I'm fighting _you_ , right now. If I were in a fight with Orcs, I'd fight dirty."

Aragorn raised a brow as he helped her up, "Fight dirty?"

Ireth grinned, "I may not be incredibly skilled with a sword, but I do have other skills I can apply to it."

"Let's see it then."

Ireth smiled sweetly, "You've been warned."

They got into their positions and began to spar again. Ireth put in every lesson her sensei had ever taught her, remembering all the pointers he gave and all the warnings that came with him. She didn't want to fatally hurt him, it's Aragorn for Christ sake's. Maybe stunning him would be best. Ireth made sure to stay out of his swords range, only going in close when she needed to. She needed to make a decision and fast. But what to do?

And then she got it. Use his own weight against him. He was taller than her by a head so it was going to be difficult, but she was sure she could manage the move. She needed to improvise.

Drawing in close, Aragorn blocked her attack, and they remained at a stale mate for several seconds, but several seconds was all Ireth needed. She grabbed his hand, catching him by surprise and pinched a nerve in his wrist. His hand tremored and he dropped his sword. Quickly, Ireth hooked her foot around his ankle and yanked, tripping him as she shoved him backward. He fell on his back, hard. It didn't help that Ireth landed on him and now held her sword to his throat with a triumphant grin.

"So that's what I meant by fighting dirty." She laughed as she swung off of him. He seemed to be trying to draw in a breath as he sat up. He looked at her as he finally sucked in a breath.

"Fighting…dirty. That seems dishonorable for an elf." He said with a wry smile.

"Well, then I guess I'll just use it when necessary."

They both laughed, sitting on the ground, and that is what Haldir came upon on his return to check on his pupil. He raised a brow, "I thought you were supposed to be sparring?"

This just made Ireth laugh harder, as she stood and helped Aragorn up. "We were sparring!"

Haldir rolled his eyes. He couldn't remain put out with her, after all this was the first time she'd laughed so openly since he'd met her. He placed a hand on the top of her head; she was short for an elf, "You grow stronger by the day, Ireth."

Ireth grinned up at him, enjoying the praise she received.

"Ireth." Everyone turned at the sound of the Lady Galadriel's voice. To say they were surprised to see her was an understatement. She was dressed in white robes, her hair pulled away from her face by her grand silver circlet. "Please come with me."

Ireth gave Aragorn and Haldir a curious look before she trailed after the Lady of Light. As she trailed behind her, she watched the light shift against her golden hair, wondering if that was her original hair color or if it fades to a blond over a long period of time. She has yet to see an elf with dark hair such as herself.

"My granddaughter, Undómiel, has hair darker than yours." Lady Galadriel said, a smile in her voice. "Though your hair is still considered unique among our kin. Never have we seen one of our kind's hair shift colors."

"Shift colors?" Ireth questioned.

"Yes," Galadriel shifted her head to watch the young elleth from the corner of her eye, "When you first arrived, your hair looked almost golden, though it was still dark, and now the gold in your hair has faded."

Self-consciously Ireth fingered a tendril of her hair, "I see."

Galadriel turned to her and smiled, "Do not fret, child. Many are enamored by your unique qualities."

Ireth looked around, noticing they were in some kind of garden. It was beautiful with golden flowers and glimmering fountains. Galadriel sat upon a beautifully carved wooden bench, motioning for Ireth to sit beside her.

After a long pause, Galadriel gently lifted the butterfly pendant around Ireth's neck. "Do you know what this is?"

Ireth was confused, "It's the necklace my mother gave me for my second birthday."

The Lady Galadriel smiled, "Yes, in your world it was a gift of celebration; of love. But here, here the necklace symbolizes your life."

Ireth frowned, "I do not understand."

"As you've been told, the life of elves are immortal. Those who have human blood, coursing through their veins are given a choice. You were once human, young one, and so you are not exempt from this choice. If you should choose to do so, you can become mortal."

Ireth blinked, "If I do not choose to be mortal, what of it then?"

Lady Galadriel set the necklace gently against Ireth's chest. Smiling at the way it reflected the light, the signs of her life fading gone from the necklace. "It is not a decision you should take lightly. You could live for centuries before you make your decision. Follow your heart, and you will know your choice."

Ireth wasn't sure how she could ever come to make the decision to remain immortal or to become mortal once again. But she didn't have to make her decision now and that gave her some comfort.

"There is something else I wish to speak with you."

Ireth looked up to the Lady Galadriel with curious eyes.

"It is of your other decision." Ireth could be wrong, but she swears she saw a mischievous look in Galadriel's eyes, "Do you wish to continue on with the fellowship?"

Her eyes lit up with understanding, "Yes, of course."

Galadriel gave her that all knowing smile, "Even if you know not where their quest leads them?"

Ireth was determined to go with them, she wanted to protect them; help them in any way possible. "Even if it leads to my destruction."

Galadriel stood, "And if they will not permit you to go?"

Ireth let out a very unladylike snort as she stood, a grin spreading across her face, "Then I guess I'd just have to follow them."

The Lady of Light smiled, "You have two days to convince them of your joining them, for on the morning of the third day do they depart."

Ireth nodded, sensing she was being dismissed and ran off in search of the fellowship. From what she had been able to tell, their journey was dangerous. They went to the sanctuary of elves to recover from this danger. And Ireth was willingly walking into it. Whatever was thrown at her, she would deal with it; she would deal with it with an open mind, and trust in her companions. The only thing is, she didn't trust them to let her continue with them. She knew, in all practicality, that she would have to follow them, but before she prepared for her last case scenario, she would ask them; she would ask them all at once and unless she was allowed to go with them, she would follow.

With a plan formed, she went in search of them.

Two hours later, Ireth was sitting in their small camp, nibbling on the meal they provided for her. She was sitting between Aragorn and Frodo, with Boromir and Legolas diagonal from her. Sam was on the other side of Frodo, and Pippin and Merry were between Sam and Boromir. They were currently arguing about mushrooms, bringing laughter to the company.

Ireth didn't laugh, no she was trying to figure out the best way to bring up their departure. She took a sip of water from her chalice and frowned deeply when she couldn't find the right way to bring the topic up.

"Are you alright, Ireth? You've been staring at your cup for some time now."

She looked up and met the eyes of Aragorn, then looked to Gimli, Boromir and finally Legolas. They were all watching her with concern. Well, now was as good a time as any, she supposed.

"I'm continuing with you on your quest."

"Absolutely not." Ireth stared at Legolas in shock. Of all the people she had expected him to allow her to continue.

"I agree with the elf," Gimli piped up, "Our quest is no place for a wee lass."

"Do you even know what our quest is? What it entails?" Boromir asked, setting his plate of food aside.

She looked at him square in the eye, "I do not care where you're quest is taking you, nor how dangerous it is. I am going with you."

Aragorn sighed, and she turned to look at him, "You have grown in your skills, I will admit that; however, this type of quest, it is too dangerous."

"And the Mines of Moria were dangerous—"

Legolas cut her off, "If I remember correctly, you were greatly injured in the mines."

Ireth frowned, "And if I remember correctly, I didn't have the skills I have now. Your point is invalid."

At this point everyone was looking at Gimli because he started to laugh. It was a deep sound and Ireth had never actually heard him laugh before. Chuckle? Yes. But not a full on belly-shaking laugh as he was doing now. "And they say dwarves are stubborn!"

Ireth couldn't help but smile, though it quickly faded when Boromir put in his input. "Stubborn or not, it is far too dangerous. You can be killed or worse."

Ireth knew of what he implied of the 'or worse', and she wasn't ever going to let that happen. "I am perfectly capable of protecting myself for many occasions."

"You are not accompanying us and that's final." Legolas said, watching her with narrowed eyes.

Ireth stood, looking at him dead in the eye, "I will be accompanying you whether you like it or not."

With that, she stormed off. She went up to her room and prepared a travel bag. Ireth knew them well enough by now; they would try and leave without her knowing. Mid-stuffing a clean tunic into her pouch, there was a knock at her door. She paused, listening.

"Ireth," Legolas called softly. "May I come in?"

She stiffened, shoving her bag underneath the bed. "No, you may not."

She was still angry with him. There was an agitated sigh and the shifting of a body on wood. "I suppose I will speak with you through the door then."

Ireth kept the groan she wanted to elicit from coming out of her mouth. She marched to the door and pulled it open quickly, gasping with surprise when the elf fell back onto her. He was standing quickly, facing her, but not meeting her eye. Ireth couldn't help but laugh, "Maybe you should refrain from leaning on doors, Legolas."

If she was reading his face correctly she'd say he was slightly embarrassed, but the amusement she was feeling quickly passed as she remembered she was supposed to be angry with him. "What do you wish to speak with me about?"

He looked at her this time, "We are to depart in four days."

Liar, she thought. "I thought you didn't want me to join you on this quest."

"I don't, but I doubt we will be able to keep you from accompanying us."

"You thought correctly." Ireth said, watching his face closely. "Was that all you wished to speak with me about?"

He nodded, and turned to leave. Before he was out the door, he paused, looking over his shoulder at her, "There's nothing I can do or say that would change your mind, is there?"

"No."

He shook his head and sighed, closing the door as he left. Ireth went to her window and watched him go down the stairs until he was out of sight. She had to be vigilant; they could be leaving anywhere from now to four days.

Quickly she grabbed the belt with her knife on it and strapped it around her waist. With determination set in her, she grabbed the bag she was packing and left her rooms. She knew she couldn't get away with stalking Legolas or Aragorn; so she settled for Frodo. He slept in the fellowships little camp and slept quietly while the other Hobbits packed their bags full of food. They'd be leaving soon; perhaps tonight, or in the morn but she would be ready.

"Ireth."

At the sound of her name, she went ramrod straight, turning toward the sound of Haldir's voice. She smiled at him sheepishly, hoping he would get that disapproving look off his face.

"Come with me," was all he said as he turned and led her down a path. She practically ran to catch up, hoping Legolas hadn't recruited him as a diversion so they could leave. He was silent as he led her down a path and up a flight of stairs.

She was surprised when they entered the room, seeing the walls were covered with different types of weapons. Her eyes were drawn to one sword specifically. It was the length of her arm and beautifully curved with engravings on the blade. She couldn't read it, but there was something about this sword that made her feel empowered, and yet protected as well.

"Interesting, that you pick that sword." Haldir commented from the door way. Ireth looked back at him, confused.

"Why is it interesting?" She asked, a little nervous of his answer.

"That sword is named Agarwaen (**)." At her blank look, he added. "It means 'bloodstained'. This blade was used by an orc to kill its own master."

Ireth looked down at the sword. "I can't offer it revenge, but I can offer it to redeem itself. I am positive I will meet orcs on this quest."

Haldir let out a sigh that drew Ireth's attention. She didn't like the sound of it in the least.

"You don't wish me to go, do you?"

He looked at her, saw the defiant look in her eye and knew there was no reasoning with her. "I do not, but it is hardly in my power to stop you. Besides, if Lady Galadriel was the one who put this idea in your head, I am not to go against it."

He walked forward, grabbing a sheath to the sword. She grinned at him. "I'll be fine, I was taught by you after all."

Haldir gently took the sword from her and sheathed it before draping the sword over her shoulder. "You are so young, you should not be exposed to such violence."

"I'd be considered an adult in my home world." She protested.

"Yes, but you are an elf now; you would only be considered an elfling under the right circumstances."

She couldn't help it; she hugged him tightly, much like she used to with her father when he had the same sentimental look on his face. She grinned when she felt him hug her back.

She pulled back, and grinned up at him. "You know, you remind me a lot of my dad."

He smiled, though there was a sad look on his face. "I know I can't replace him, but would it be alright if I were to be your guardian for as long as you live here?"

Oh. She wanted to cry. She really wanted to cry. Ireth hugged him, pressing her face into his chest. Unable to form words, she nodded.

Inhaling deeply, Ireth took control of her emotions and pulled away from Haldir. "Right, I have a hobbit to watch."

With that, she quickly left the weapons room, racing to make sure Frodo and the others had stayed put while her newly appointed guardian gave her a weapon to defend herself.


	8. Uruk-Hai Hunting

She had been right. They made to leave a day early, and if she hadn't been ready, she would have been a day behind them. Ireth, managing to get information from Merry and Pippin, knew they'd be travelling by boat. She set out as Lady Galadriel presented to them gifts of Lorien.

"Wait, Ireth."

She paused, turning towards the sound of Haldir's voice. Ireth tilted her head, wondering why he was stopping her now when she'd said goodbye already. "Haldir?"

He smiled at her, "The Lady gives you gifts of farewell."

Her eyes widened. Lady Galadriel didn't need to give her gifts! She told Haldir so, but he frowned at her, telling her to take the gifts. "A cloak to keep you hidden from your enemies, and a companion to Agarwaen."

After he fastened the cloak around her throat, he presented to her a dagger that looked almost identical to the dagger at her waist. She fingered the hilt in awe, looking at Haldir to confirm that she could take it. Her dagger, though intricate in design and beauty, is completely silver, blending in with the actual blade. The dagger Haldir presented to her was green, with golden vines encircling the hilt. "It's beautiful. A green dagger…"

"Sigilas.(**)" Haldir told her, "it means green dagger."

Ireth grinned, "Then I will name it Sigilas."

"One last gift from me." Haldir said holding up several small leaved packages. "For the journey."

It was Lembas. Ireth smiled faintly, noting that she hadn't packed any food for the journey at all. She hugged Haldir again, squeezing tightly. "Thank you."

He smiled, kissing her forehead. "Go."

She packed away the Lembas, and trotted off, following the flow of the river and staying hidden in the foliage. A last minute decision, she turned around and held a hand up to a barely visible Haldir. She saw him raise his hand, and with a reassuring grin, continued ahead.

As it turns out, staying ahead of the fellowship was rather hard and taxing—even if she had left before they did. If she had thought that was hard, it was even harder to stay out of Legolas' eyes. Twice she was sure she was caught when they would catch up to her. It worried her every time Legolas would pause in his rowing, his eyes scanning the foliage. Ireth had decided to hide behind her cloak, crouching in the bushes and hoping to the gods that his gaze would pass over her. She knew very well that if she could see him, then he most definitely could see her and that line of thought always brought a frown to her lips. It was when they had stopped for the night that she decided to go on ahead.

Ireth wasn't entirely sure where they would stop travelling by the river, and it made her nervous that she didn't know. It left her on edge. When she came upon the giant stone people, it was day break, and she knew they would be travelling through soon if they were continuing on passed the stone creations. It felt like forever, but it gave her enough time to catch her breath and eat a few bites of Lembas. She even decided to sing to pass the time, singing low under her breath as to not give herself away to the fellowship nor any Orcs wandering about. After a few moments of silence, the tell-tale sounds of silent elven boats in the current brought her to absolute silence and a stand still. Legolas, to her relief, was peering at the far shore. She heard Aragorn speak, but was too late in trying to focus on his voice. After they'd gone a distance ahead, she began to follow.

Ireth, in all honesty, was eager to see the look on Legolas face when she appeared beside their group. Already they were too far away from Lothlórien to send her back; she'd have to go on with them. When Ireth saw they'd stopped to rest, she quickly back-tracked, so that she was just out of Legolas ear shot. She laid under a grouping of bushes, where she could stay out of sight and still keep an eye on their movements. She shut her eyes to sleep.

When Ireth woke, she knew something was wrong. For starters, it was too bright, and second, it was far too quiet. She popped up, peering towards the river, noting dismally that the boats were gone. She'd slept in. Or they'd left early. With an annoyed sigh, Ireth ran to try and catch up.

She was sure to stay just in ear shot of the river, glancing every now and then to make sure the Fellowship hadn't fallen behind her. Soon, with every step she took, a sense of foreboding filled her, spurring her into a full out sprint. She stopped suddenly and listened. Ireth could have sworn she heard something.

"…Master Gimli."

That was Aragorn's voice! Ireth let out a silent sigh in relief. Quickly, she made herself comfortable exactly where she was, keeping her cloak around her and her hood up. They rested for some time, and it occurred to Ireth, that they may be waiting for nightfall to get across the river and that brought her to a revelation that was quite the dilemma. How was she going to get across the river? If she were to follow them, she'd have to swim; but if she were to reveal herself now, then she'd be able to stay dry. She bit her lip. Now that she needed to reveal herself, she was feeling quite anxious. Aragorn would get over it, Boromir would be put out but would eventually come around to it; Gimli, she could picture laughing, making a comment on how she was as stubborn as a dwarf. It was Legolas that worried her. She knew he'd be the most upset, probably the longest, too. For some reason, it made her want to cry at the thought of him being angry with her. Legolas had become dear to her, as did all the members of the fellowship, but it was different somehow.

She felt the tree start to vibrate behind her. What?

Leaning forward, she realized, it wasn't the tree; but her sword, Agarwaen, that was vibrating. She pulled it from its sheath and stared at the blade. It wasn't visibly vibrating, but she could feel it travelling from her fingers and up into her arm. She frowned.

A metallic clang caught her attention. It didn't sound like the hobbits practicing though. In fact, she couldn't hear anyone near the settled encampment. She stood, wandering closer. Under better scrutiny, she saw the camp they made had been abandoned. But now she could hear the sound of swords clanging and she knew something was wrong. Ireth raced into the tree line, following the growing sound of battle when she suddenly ran into something small.

"Frodo!" She said in surprise.

"What are you doing here?" He said, then shook his head, looking behind him.

Ireth suddenly understood something. She helped Frodo up, looking him in the eye, "They're after you aren't they?"

He nodded, and she could practically see him vibrating with the need to run.

She stuck a hand in her bag and produced two Lembas. "Take these, and go. I'll help the others."

Ireth was surprised when he gave her a hug, but as soon as his arms were around her were they gone and he was down by the shore pushing a boat into the water. She saw Sam before she heard him, and as she quickly passed him called out, "Look after him, Sam!"

Without waiting to hear his response she took off into the trees, the vibrations in her sword becoming stronger the closer she came to the battle. And when she arrived, she was more than a little shocked. These were not Orcs; she wasn't sure what they were but they were big and one was coming right for her. She charged forward, holding her sword at the ready and was more than surprised when she managed to sink the sword into its stomach. With a ferocious yank, she pulled Agarwaen out and let the creature drop at her feet.

A flash of blonde and her eyes focused on Legolas. Despite the situation at hand, she smiled and ran forward, slashing the…whatever it was…at his back. He turned, shock spreading on his face, but she was already running away, engaging in battle with another creature. They were powerful she realized, and the last two she faced were merely lucky chances. She resorted to her "Fighting Dirty" style, to which she was able to bring down four…of these things. Ireth turned to her next opponent, blinking when it went down before it even got in her swords swinging range. There was an arrow in its back.

The sound of a horn blowing brought her attention elsewhere. She raced towards the sound, knowing it was Boromir calling for help. However, her plans were thwarted when two of the things blocked her path. She gave them a once over and wrinkled her nose in disgust. They were large hulking creatures, looking like a mix of Man, Orc and Beast. They both had blackened skin, dirt and sweat caked onto their skin. One wore a helmet, which bore a white handprint on it. Something stirred in her mind, saying the handprint was significant, but she set it aside for later thinking.

They rushed her at the same time, swords swinging, and she wasn't really sure how to dodge it, so she brought her blade up, prepared to be fatally injured, if not killed. Ireth was even more surprised when she felt the two swords clang against Agarwaen and slid off sending sparks everywhere. Said sword vibrated in her hand, it felt almost like a zap, it only topped when she'd lift her arm to block. She'd set that aside for later thinking too. Ireth blocked their attacks, kicking out at her opponent's legs and putting well placed stabs into their joints. One started to roar at her but she sent her sword into his mouth, grimacing as she felt the sword break through the skull at the back of his head. It hadn't taken much effort, surprisingly, but she gave all the credit to the sword. It was elven, after all, and it now seemed to be humming. She was getting the distinct impression it was out of pleasure.

When she looked around, there were no other creatures rambling towards her. That made her more afraid. Now she could see the fiery gaze of Legolas as he stormed towards her. "What. Are. You. Doing. Here?" He bit out.

Ireth took a breath, "I told you I was coming whether you liked it or not."

Maybe that hadn't been the best thing to say, Ireth thought as a look of anger crossed his features. "You are not prepared for these battles, Ireth. I saw you struggling to even fight these creatures. Go back to Lothlórien."

Irritation started to filter into Ireth's mind. "No. I'm going with you and that's that. Besides, I'm already here."

She looked around for Gimli, Aragorn and Boromir. Frowning only when she spotted Gimli stalking towards them. "Where's Aragorn and Boromir."

She looked briefly towards Legolas and she could tell the subject of her presence was being dropped. Or so she thought.

"We are not finished here." Legolas said bitingly, unnerving Ireth slightly because she hasn't seen him this angry since they arrived in Lothlórien so many weeks ago. Legolas led the way, followed by Gimli, and Ireth brought up the rear. The sight they came upon was not one Ireth was expecting. She shut her eyes, feeling the tears starting to form in her eyes. She blinked them away. She would cry later when she was alone. No way was she allowing her tears to show in front of them.

Ireth stared down at Boromir. He was already gone, three arrows in his chest with his sword held against his chest. Aragorn was leaning over him, whispering something to him as he bid him farewell and kissed his forehead. When he looked up, he didn't immediately register the fact that she was standing there. At all. No, with the help of Legolas and Gimli, they brought him to the river side and laid him down in an emptied boat. Aragorn saved Boromir's gauntlet's and knife, strapping them to himself with a sad yet fond look. They laid the Gondor Horn atop of Boromir and with a prayer sent the boat adrift.

It wasn't until the boat disappeared over the falls that Aragorn acknowledged her presence at all.

"Shouldn't you be in Lothlórien?" He asked solemnly.

"No. I'm right where I want to be." She said, lifting her head with false challenge. Her anger gave her a small amount of bravery as she looked at Aragorn. She had wanted to prevent deaths, not witness them.

Aragorn watched her, a puzzled expression on his face. "You followed us here, yet I know you have no skills in tracking…"

Ireth, though wanting to grin sheepishly, couldn't find the heart to, so simply just shrugged her shoulders. "I've been following you since before you left."

Aragorn raised a brow but none the less let it drop. He turned to Legolas and Gimli. "It's too late to send her back now, she must come with us."

"That's not what I'm concerned about," Gimli said gruffly, "The lass can take care of herself. It's the hobbits I'm worried about."

Realization dawned on Ireth as she looked around, "Where are Pippin and Merry?"

"We will not leave Merry and Pippin to be tortured by Orcs," Aragorn sheathed Boromir's knife. "Leave all that can be spared. Let's hunt some Orc!"

He took off, and since Ireth didn't have anything to spare, she ran after him just as soon. She was determined to get the remaining hobbits from the clutches of the orcs, and was more than willing to kill to make sure they live. She just hoped they wouldn't be too late like she had been.

Ireth had been holding up better than she thought she would in their pursuit of the Orc Pack; she managed to stay ahead of the dwarf at least. It'd only been two days, with short breaks, that they'd been hunting the Orc, and she could hear Gimli muttering to himself about it. At times it made her grin, and let out a snicker or two, but she'd soon sober. She used the time spent running for thinking, like how best to get in the good graces of Legolas. He's yet to speak to her, or even look at her, and really it hurt a lot that he did that. Though she was, by far, used to the treatment, it was for an entirely different reason and that was enough to make her want to cry in frustration.

For a time she stared blankly at Aragorn's back, only making an effort to make a positive facial expression when he turned to check on them. She thought perhaps it was when Gimli pulled ahead of her that he sent of all three of them, Legolas, to check on her. If that's what she could even call it.

"You need to keep up."

At the time, Ireth hadn't realized he'd fallen into step beside her and much to his amusement she noted, nearly tripped over her own feet. When she was sure she wouldn't trip, she looked at him, the amusement gone from his face.

"Just because the dwarf is running in front of me," She huffed out in annoyance, "does not mean I cannot keep up. I followed you from Lothlórien on foot and kept up just fine."

With that said, she pulled ahead of him and quickly passed Gimli. She would have run passed Aragorn too if she'd known how to track orcs as he did, so she settled for running beside him, yet far enough he would not be able to say anything to her.

It was the morning of the fourth day that she heard Legolas murmur something. She looked at him questioningly, but he did not look at her and ran passed her. Ireth stuck her tongue out at his back. They were starting to crest a hill when Aragorn paused. Ireth heard the sound thundering hooves and the occasional sound of a horse whinnying. Aragorn ushered us to hide behind an outcropping of stones, and somehow, Ireth ended up next to the elf. She didn't have a chance to move though as not a moment after they'd hidden did a very large fleet of warriors on horses fly by. Ireth felt her eyes widen in wonder as the group moved as one over the grounds. They were amazing.

Then Aragorn dashed out as soon as the last rider passed and called out to them, "Riders of Rohan! What news from the Mark!?"

Legolas and Gimli had wandered out behind him and Ireth had just joined them, watching in awe as the riders swiftly turned about and surrounded them. Then they pointed their spears down at them, and Ireth suddenly felt like they were less amazing.

A rider rode forward, staring down at them in the most opposing way possible. "What business does a man, a dwarf and two elves have in Rohan?"

"Give me your name, horse master, and I shall give you mine." Gimli stated.

Ireth gave Gimli an incredulous look, wondering how on earth he thought they were in a position to be arrogant. The rider who spoke dismounted, walking forward to stand in front of the dwarf.

"I would cut off your head, Dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground."

Before she even saw him move Legolas had an arrow trained on him, "You would die before your stroke fell."

The soldiers moved their spears to point directly at Legolas. Ireth let out a very audible sigh that had most turning to look at her with a questioning gaze. "I do believe we have more pressing matters than trading threats at each other."

Aragorn seemed to at least agree with her as he lowered Legolas bow and started to speak. "I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Gimli, son of Gloin, Legolas of the Woodland Realm and Lady Ireth of Lothlórien. We are friends of Rohan, and of Théoden, your King."

The man took his helmet off, "Théoden no longer recognizes friend from foe. Not even his own kin. Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king and claimed lordship over these lands. My company are those loyal to Rohan, and for that we are banished."

He took a step closer, staring them all down. Well, Legolas Gimli and Aragorn at least. Ireth side-stepped the moment he made to move closer. "The White Wizard is cunning. He walks here and there they say, as an old man hooded and cloaked. And everywhere his spies slip passed our nets."

Ireth found it only slightly amusing that once again she was being accused of being a spy. Aragorn quickly spoke up. "We track a party of Uruk-Hai, Westward across the plain. They have taken two of our friend's captive."

"The Uruks are destroyed. We slaughtered them in the night."

Gimli leaned forward letting out rushed words, "But there were two Hobbits! Did you see two Hobbits with the 'em?"

"They would be small. Only children to your eyes." Aragorn put in, spotting the confused look on the man's face.

"We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them." A sorrowful look crossed his features.

"Dead?" Gimli said, disbelief filling his voice.

"I am sorry." He whistles calling for two horses. "Hasufel, Arod! May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters. Farewell." Two horses were brought forward, one white and the other brown. To everyone's surprise, the white horse pranced almost merrily towards Ireth and nudged her with its muzzle. She smiled at it, and began to stroke his velvety nose, much to the horses' pleasure.

After putting his helmet back on and remounting his horse, he spoke once more, the atmosphere becoming serious once more, "Look for your friends, but do not trust to hope. It has forsaken these lands."

He looked to his mini army, "We ride North!" And they soon rode off in perfect unison.

Ireth though, didn't feel the heavy weight of the man's words. She looked to her companions, noting their grim faces.

"You know," she spoke hesitantly, gaining all their attention as they looked to her. "He didn't say specifically that he saw them. If they piled the carcasses, they would have surely seen them."

This brightened everyone's faces, and they turned to the horses, thinking of the seating arrangements as there were two horses and four of them. Gimli was going to suggest that Ireth ride with Legolas, when she quickly spoke up, quickly solving the problem. "I'll ride with Aragorn."

Much to Arod's displeasure, that meant she would be riding on Hasufel.

They rode in silence towards a billowing trail of smoke, Ireth hadn't noticed it before. As they got closer and closer, Ireth was starting to wish she couldn't smell, because if they smelled bad when they were alive, they smelled ten times worse than when being burned. They weren't even in sight of the remains of the carcasses yet, and so Ireth knew she wouldn't be able to smell for weeks after this.

Once they happened upon the carcasses, they dismounted, searching the piles. Ireth wanted to follow and help, but felt herself being held back. She turned and looked at Legolas, tilting her head at him. There was a serious look on his face as he gazed at her, and seemed to want to say something. However, if he were to say anything, it was quickly put away for later thinking, as Gimli found one of their belts in the ashes.

They quickly walked over, peering at the found item. Aragorn kicked a helmet, it going quite far, and yelled out loudly. Ireth had never seen him lose his composure before, and so looked at him in surprise. He stared at the ground for a long period of time before he fingered the ground softly.

"A hobbit lay here." He moved his hand to another spot. "And here."

Though soon he seemed to be following a trail, "They crawled."

They all followed closely behind as he looked at the ground. "Their hands were bound."

"Their bonds were cut! … They were followed…The tracks lead away from the battle!"

He started moving faster and faster and he stopped abruptly, looking into a wild looking forest. "And into Fangorn Forest."

Gimli looked at the forest with some sort of emotion. "What madness drove them there?"

"Who cares? Let's go find some Hobbits!" Ireth said, moving forward into the forest before anyone could protest. Soon though, she stopped, waiting for Aragorn to take the lead because she had no idea where they were going. As they wandered deeper into the forest, Ireth noticed something different about this forest than the others. She packed her wonderings away for later exploration when they had the time.

Gimli spit, grunting with displeasure, "Orc blood!"

Ireth looked at him in horror, "Gimli, that's disgusting."


	9. Fanghorn and Edoras

As they wandered deeper into the forest, Ireth noticed something different about this forest than the others. She packed her wonderings away for later exploration when they had the time.

Gimli spit, grunting with displeasure, "Orc blood!"

Ireth looked at him in horror, "Gimli, that's disgusting."

They continued through the forest, Ireth looking around in wonder. It certainly wasn't anything like Lothlórien, but it had its own beauty and charm to it. There were many small brooks that they had to jump across—well, Gimli had to—and the trees twisted in such ways that made Ireth itch to climb up them. Moss and lichens grew everywhere, giving the forest a greener glow as the sun filtered in from the canopy.

"The air is so close in here." Gimli commented.

"This forest is old," Legolas spoke, looking at their surroundings. "Very Old…full of memory…and anger."

Ireth looked at him curiously, wondering for a fraction of a moment how he knew that, but quickly started looking around at the sudden sound of groaning.

"The trees are speaking to each other." Legolas spoke, a strange look on his face. The groining suddenly became louder and Ireth covered her ears, not enjoying the sound the trees made. When Aragorn turned around, making a lowering motion, she followed his gaze to Gimli, who had his axe raised ready to attack if need be.

"Gimli, lower your axe!"

The moment he did, the groaning lessened, becoming a much more pleasant sound. She lowered her hands from her ears, and followed Legolas as he and Aragorn continued forward. They'd made it two feet, when she visibly saw Legolas stiffen before quickly moving forward calling to Aragorn and speaking in elvish. She moved to follow, but nearly ran into Legolas as he stopped and turned to her.

"Stay here."

She made to protest, but stopped when he gave her a pleading look. He moved quickly forward, speaking in a low tone to Aragorn. Hiding behind a tree, she watched as they drew weapons, prepared to strike at a moment's notice. A light shined brighter than Ireth had ever seen and she averted her eyes, hoping to salvage her eyesight.

"You are tracking the steps of two young hobbits…" A strange voice spoke from the light. There was something about it that caught Ireth's attention. She squinted at the light, trying to see who it was.

"Where are they?" Aragorn spoke.

"They passed this way the day before yesterday," There was a pause, "They met someone they did not expect. Does that comfort you?"

"Who are you?"

As the figure moved forward, the bright light seemed to all but disappear, revealing this strange person. Ireth stared wide-eyed at a man who looked an awful lot like Gandalf. She was rooted to the spot, clenching the rough bark of the tree in front of her.

"It cannot be," She heard Aragorn whisper. "You fell."

"Through fire…and water," Gandalf said, continuing on how he fought the Balrog and how he had died and come back. "I felt life in me once again."

"Gandalf…" Ireth spoke finally, stepping forward from behind her tree.

He looked at her quizzically, "Gandalf? Yes, that is what they used to call me." He smiled, "Gandalf the Gray. Yes, that was my name. I am Gandalf the White. And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide."

Ireth rushed forward wrapping the old man in a tight hug. "Gandalf!"

He seemed surprised at first, but quickly hugged her back, and looked to Aragorn. "One stage of your journey is over, another begins!"

Ireth released the wizard, grinning widely with joy. He's alive! She was practically giddy with excitement, any subconscious guilt over not being able to save him gone. He was here! And she was glad of it. She trailed behind Aragorn and Legolas, feeling more than just happiness.

"War has come to Rohan; we must ride to Edoras with all speed." As they broke the tree line, Gandalf whistled an intricate pattern that had Ireth looking at Gandalf with awe. She went to Hasufel and Arod, patting both horses, when she heard the pounding of hooves on the ground. She turned in time to see a gorgeous white stallion canter up to Gandalf.

"That is one of the Maeras; lest my eyes be cheated by some spell?" Legolas spoke with awe in his voice as he gazed at the approaching steed.

"Shadowfax; he is the lord of all horses," Gandalf said, gently stroking the horses neck, "and has been my friend through many dangers."

He mounted the great horse, and waited for the others to mount. Ireth made to mount after Aragorn on Hasufel, yelping in surprise when Arod forced his head in between her body and the saddle. After that, he refused to allow Gimli to mount him, side stepping the dwarf as he approached while keeping his head on Ireth's shoulder. As amusing as the scene was, they needed to hurry, and so, Gimli rode behind Aragorn on Hasufel and Ireth, much to her embarrassment, rode behind Legolas on a content Arod.

"Hold on tight," Legolas spoke over his shoulder to her. She nodded, clenching the fabric in her grip at his sides, much as she did with Aragorn. They took off quickly, much faster than Ireth was expecting, and with a low yelp, wrapped her arms quickly around Legolas midsection to keep herself from bouncing off. She didn't see the amused look of Gandalf, nor the conspirator glances of Aragorn and Gimli as they rode beside them. Much to everyone's amusement, Legolas face was expressionless, but Aragorn wasn't fooled. He could see the very faint pink at the tip of the Ellons' ears.

They rode quickly over the land, and the longer they rode the more Ireth got used to the gait of Arod. She loosened her grip as Edoras came into view on the horizon, once again gripping the fabric at Legolas side. As they came closer, Ireth saw how massive their destination truly was. She was in awe of it. It was nothing like Lothlórien, but it was human made and still fantastic to see. It emanated a rustic charm that had her becoming fond of the place on sight.

Before they had rode through the outer walls of the city, Gandalf had spoken of how the King of Rohan was being controlled by Saruman. "Be careful what you say, do not look for welcome here."

His words echoed in her head as they dismounted, climbing the large steps to the Golden Hall of Meduseld. As they approached, the doors swung open, and several soldiers walked out. Some of the men eyed her warily, as she returned the favor and took the slightest step closer to Aragorn, much to his amusement. Her attention then turned to a helmetless soldier who began to speak.

"I cannot allow you before Théoden King so armed, Gandalf Grayhame," a look of annoyance crossed his face, "by order of Grima Wormtongue."

Ireth wrinkled her nose. Grima Wormtongue? She wondered if he looked as…strange…as his name sounded. With the bob of his head, Gandalf motioned for them to do as the soldier asked. The men looked more than a little surprised when Ireth pulled two knives from her belt—including Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn—and her large blade from her back. Her eyes narrowed at the man who took her weapons, his gaze showing awe. "I will be getting those back."

If it hadn't been for her good hearing, she wouldn't have heard the man swallow thickly before mumbling an "of course" and disappearing with her weapons. This gained a chuckle from the dwarf. Ireth looked to Gandalf, as the head soldier mentioned his staff.

"Oh you would not part an old man from his walking stick?"

The man rolled his eyes, turning to lead them into the hall. Gandalf winked at Aragorn, allowing Legolas to help him walk in. Ireth smirked to herself, allowing Aragorn to herd her in front of him.

"The courtesy of your hall is somewhat lessened of late Théoden, King." Gandalf called to a man sitting in brown furs on a dais at the end of the hall. Ireth's nose crinkled as her gaze drifted over the old man. He looked ancient, with wrinkles on his wrinkles and actual whiskers in his beard. His skin was yellowing in certain places and overall he just looked washed out and worn. Movement caught her eye, and her gaze slid down to a man sitting beside him. She kept her face neutral, even if the man was appalling. His hair was limp and greasy, as if he hadn't bathed in days; his skin was so pale she wondered if he'd ever seen sunlight, or know what it is for that matter. His eyes seem sunken in to his face and rimmed with red—he reminded her of someone who did drugs in her old world. And he lacked eyebrows.

His eyes trained on her, much to her dismay, and she wasn't all too fond of it. His gaze went back to Théoden as he spoke in a most heartbreakingly cracked and withered voice, "Why should I welcome you, Gandalf…Storm…crow?"

He looked to the creepy guy for approval. "A just question, my liege."

We approached closer to the throne, Ireth noting the men who followed them at the side of the Hall. Her body was tense for action, remembering all the different techniques and practices. Her attention returned to the creepy man in black robes. She frowned, he just looks evil.

"Late is the hour in which this conjurer chooses to appear," as he spoke, he approached them, his gaze sliding to Ireth several times before going back to Gandalf. Unnerved, Ireth moved so that she was standing behind the White Wizard and out of the man's sight. " _Lathspell_ I name him; ill news is an ill guest."

"Be silent," Gandalf snapped at the man. "Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth! I did not pass through fire and death to bandy words with a witless worm."

Ireth mentally applauded Gandalf as he presented his staff to the slimy man. He backed away with fear creeping into his eyes, "His staff! I told you to take the wizard's staff!"

As Gandalf continued forward, the rough looking men who'd stalked them to this point rushed forward to attack them. Much to Ireth's annoyance, they didn't seem to find her a threat, blowing passed her to reach Gimli Aragorn and Legolas. She stuck her foot out as one rushed passed, sending him face first into the floor. She was a little surprised he didn't get back up after that, and stepped over him. That seemed to catch the other men's attention and one went after her from behind. She stiffened when she felt the knife at her throat.

"Not so fast."

Aragorn Gimli and Legolas looked to Ireth, anger boiling in their eyes. Ireth blinked at them with surprise written on her face.

"Unhand her!" Legolas spoke low, but everyone in the room could hear him, and the anger he radiated. The man who held a knife to Ireth's throat stepped closer behind her, grabbing her arm. His finger's trailed like a caress on her arm. Ireth stiffened.

Aragorn saw the indignant look flash across Ireth's face before she moved. She took the hand holding the knife pressing her finger into the joint with as much force as possible, dislocating the bone with a disturbingly cheery pop. Before the man could even comprehend the pain, she turned around and sent her fist as hard as she could into his face. She felt something break.

Everyone stared at her with their jaws slack. Ireth replaced the indignant look with an innocent one before planting herself between Legolas and Aragorn. They were both giving her questioning looks, though Aragorn was more with amusement.

"What? I told you I knew how to fight without a weapon."

Aragorn chuckled, squeezing her shoulder. "That you did."

They turned their attention to Gandalf. He was currently being laughed at by a senile King. "You have no power here, Gandalf the Grey!"

With that said, Gandalf threw the gray cloak from his shoulders, revealing his bright white robes. The old King was sent back into his chair. Ireth felt the atmosphere grow powerful as Gandalf cast away the influence of Saruman. Finally, with one last force of power, King Théoden was released with a gasp from Saruman's influence. He fell forward, and a girl Ireth had never noticed before raced forward and caught him.

Ireth watched amazed as the old king quickly regained color in his face, the wrinkles lessoning and the white whiskers disappearing to reveal a middle-aged man with golden-red hair. He looked around the hall as if he were suddenly seeing. His gaze trained to the girl, "I know your face…Éowyn."

The king looked to Gandalf. "Gandalf?"

"Breathe the free air again, my friend." He spoke.

The King stood from his throne, "Dark have been my dreams of late."

The king looked to his hands as they trembled slightly. As one of the soldiers came forward, carrying a sword, Gandalf smiled slightly, "Your fingers would remember their old strength better…if they were to grasp your sword."

After hefting the sword up, King Théoden looked to Grima, a fierce look in his eyes. The men followed as Grima was ushered by two Captains out of the Hall. Ireth remained behind, not wishing to witness what would happen to him—even if he may deserve it. She made to look for her weapons only to be stopped by a hand. Ireth was a little surprised to see the worried expression of Legolas looking down at her. She tilted her head in curiosity, wondering partly if he was still angry with her for following after them.

"Are you alright?"

She smiled at him, "Indeed I am."

This didn't seem to satisfy him. He watched her a moment longer than she felt necessary but none the less returned his stare. "Be more careful."

She made an 'hmph' sound, " _You_ be careful."

Ireth turned away from him and all but ran out of the Hall. She nearly ran into the girl she saw early…Éowyn.

"Oh! I do apologize!" She said, as they both held onto each other to keep themselves from falling over.

"No, no!" Ireth said, "It's my fault, I was not paying attention!"

After a very unique meeting, the two girls conversed, becoming fast friends, until the King re-entered the Hall, asking for his son. Ireth saw the sorrow grow in Éowyn's eyes and knew that the King lost his son. She placed a comforting hand on her new friends back.

They held a funeral for Theodred, the King's son, later that day. Ireth felt out of place, standing in a borrowed mourning dress. She did not know this person and felt as if it were impolite to have a stranger attend it. However, Ireth was also glad she attended, as she held Éowyn hand and rubbed her back in an attempt to comfort her sorrow. She was a few years younger than her at 16, but for some reason, Ireth felt an infinite amount of years older when she was with her. It was strange and boggled her mind, because she knew for a _fact_ she were only four years older than the girl.

After people began to trickle away, Ireth followed Éowyn back to Meduseld. Ireth sort of envied the girl, she dealt with the loss of her family member bravely and strongly. She wished that she had done the same with her own loss. After a time, the King and Gandalf finally entered the hall, accompanied by two weary looking children. Éowyn, sensing something amiss, quickly guided the children to a table where she quickly prepared food for them as they told the King their story.

"They had no warning!" Éowyn told the king, wrapping a blanket around the young girl's shoulders. She asked for her mother, but Éowyn shushed her, encouraging her to eat. Ireth sat beside Aragorn, nibbling on a piece of Lembas, as her gaze went from Gandalf to the King. The wizard sat where Grima once did, advising the King on the wisest action to take.

"You have two thousand good men riding north as we speak," Aragorn told the king. "Eomer is loyal to you."

The King scoffed, "They are three hundred leagues away by now. I will not risk open war."

"Open war is upon you whether you would risk it or not."

The King narrowed his eyes at Aragorn, "When last I looked, Théoden, not Aragorn, was king of Rohan."

Ireth frowned at the king, thinking that a little rude of him, but Aragorn ignored it as Gandalf eased the tension.

"Then what is the King's decision?"


	10. Hyenas and Helm's Deep

Ireth, already changed and prepared to leave, started weaving her hair into a braid, using a leather strap she borrowed from Éowyn to tie it off. Her hair had grown longer since she first arrived, reaching well past her hips. When she had the time, she would cut it, but for now she was in search of anyone who might need her help.

King Théoden had ordered everyone be moved to Helm's Deep. As she left the Halls, Hama ordered that they leave all valuables behind. The people had worried expressions on their face as they packed away food and extra clothing. A flash of white was all Ireth saw as Shadowfax stormed from the stables with Gandalf riding atop him. Aragorn trailed out of the stable, leading Hasufel. He was frowning softly to himself, looking at the dust Shadowfax kicked up in his wake. Ireth went up to him, studying him for a short while.

"Is everything alright?" She asked. He looked down at her.

"Be ready to leave soon," was all he said before walking forward.

Ireth stared after him for a while, pondering on the causes of his somber attitude. A rough push to her shoulder had her looking back in surprise at Arod. The horse lipped at her face, eliciting a laugh from her. She caressed the horses neck, kissing his velvety nose, "What are you doing out of your stall, Mister?"

"He seemed anxious to get out of his stall, so I let him out."

Ireth looked around Arod toward Legolas, an amused smile on his face. "Oh."

"He seems rather taken with you." Legolas patted the horses shoulder, adjusting the reins that were starting to slip off the horses' saddle bar.

"Maybe he knew I like horses." Ireth shrugged, rubbing between his eyes. The horse sighed. She noticed Legolas giving her a curious look.

"Where I'm from, it's a rare occurrence to see horses. They are mainly used for leisure practices instead of travel." Ireth frowned, thinking she may have said too much, but she had told Legolas they weren't from the same world. Did he remember that?

"How do your people get around?"

She grimaced, thinking of a way to describe it. "Self-driven carriages. They can travel as fast as Shadowfax, maybe even faster."

Legolas looked rather stunned. "That sounds…convenient."

"Oh yes, it's convenient. But it's also dangerous. More people die from crashes than they do in war." Ireth couldn't help the bitterness that filled her voice. She kicked at the dirt at Arod's feet, letting her head rest on the bridge of Arod's muzzle.

"If it is so dangerous, why do your people still use them?"

"It's a risk people decide to take every day. We've been using them so long people don't really think about the dangers anymore."

Legolas placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, "You speak as if from experience."

She looked up at him shrugging with a tight smile, "That's how my family died."

Her voice was barely above a whisper as she lowered her gaze to stare at Arod's nose. As if he sensed her sadness, the horse stepped forward shoving his face into her chest—the horse equivalent of a hug. She smiled at Arod and patted him gently on his neck before smiling up at an even more worried looking Legolas. "So is Arod going to be carrying more than one on this trip, or do I get my own ride?"

She had attempted to change the subject, at least so Legolas would stop making that expression, but he didn't seem to take the hint and simply stepped forward, wrapping her in a tight embrace. Ireth was a little shocked at first, but in the end she leaned her head against his chest, taking the comfort that was offered.

They broke apart quickly when they both herd the loud steps of Gimli marching towards them, his voice accompanying them. When he came around the rear of Arod he took one look at the two elves and knew something had happened. He could easily tell by the way Ireth's cheeks were tinged the faintest of pinks and her eyes were staring hard at the horses' nose. Legolas was standing inconspicuously at a safe distance away from her, busing himself with adjusting the stirrups on the horses' saddle. He didn't say anything and just let out a knowing chuckle as he walked away in search of Aragorn—just to inform him of the progress between the two elves. Secretly, they'd both made wagers on when the two would finally come together, ever since they'd first found the girl in Hollin and had witnessed the ever stoic elf watch the girl closely. Of course he had denied it when there was a suggestion made, but the elf completely ruined any denials when he'd hidden with the girl in the rocks. The memory had the dwarf chuckling, earning him odd looks from the soldiers he passed.

For the first day, Ireth walked with Arod trailing behind her, offering his saddle to an older lady who had been shuffling along at a rather slow pace. With the reins in her hand, Ireth led Arod, humming under her breath. She thought it ironic that she would choose that particular song to hum given the circumstances were quite similar. Sort of similar. She started when the old lady spoke to her.

"What song do you hum, Milady?" Her voice was slightly rough but kind as she leaned forward in the saddle. Ireth tried to think quickly.

"It is a song of faith that the ancestors of the human's in my homeland sang as they walked out of slavery to freedom." I said carefully. "While the circumstances are different, it reminded me of that time."

The woman was quiet for a while, "Is it alright if I ask that you sing it?"

Ireth looked over her shoulder at the woman in surprise, "Are you sure? I am not that great of a singer."

"Nonsense," the woman said, "Please sing."

Ireth sighed, and tried to think of how the beginning went. She knew her voice wasn't nearly as light or as melodic as the women who sang it in the movies, so set it at a lower range and slowed it down just a notch.

 _"Many nights we prayed_

 _With no proof anyone could hear_

 _In our hearts a hope for a song_

 _We barely understood._

 _Now we are not afraid_

 _Although we know there's much to fear_

 _We were moving mountains_

 _Long before we knew we could._

 _There can be miracles, when you believe_

 _Though hope is frail, it's hard to kill._

 _Who knows what miracles_

 _You can achieve, when you believe_

 _Somehow you will, you will when you believe._

 _In this time of fear,_

 _When prayer so often proves in vain_

 _Hope seems like the summer bird_

 _Too swiftly flown away_

 _Yet now I'm standing here_

 _My heart so full, I can't explain_

 _Seeking faith and speaking words_

 _I never thought I'd say_

 _There can be miracles, when you believe_

 _Though hope is frail, it's hard to kill._

 _Who knows what miracles, you can achieve_

 _When you believe somehow you will,_

 _You will when you believe…"_ She paused for a moment.

" _They don't always happen when you ask_

 _And it's easy to give in to your fears_

 _But when you're blinded by your pain_

 _Can't see the way, get through the rain,_

 _A small but still, resilient voice_

 _Says hope is very near._

 _There can be miracles when you believe_

 _Though hope is frail, it's hard to kill_

 _Who knows what miracle, you can achieve_

 _When you believe, somehow you will_

 _You will when you believe…"_

Ireth trailed off, looking thoughtfully at the sky. She blinked in surprise when the people around her started to cheer and clap. She felt herself blush furiously as people who were near her squeezed her shoulders and complimented her voice. The sky was beginning to darken when Théoden finally allowed them to rest. Ireth helped the woman down from Arod, and soon went to find where her friends were setting camp.

It took her ten minutes before she heard the familiar boisterous laugh of Gimli and the barely audible chuckle of Aragorn. When she came upon them, she sent them both suspicious looks as they immediately sobered upon seeing her.

"You both are up to something." She accused, cocking a hip and crossing her arms over her chest. This made Gimli burst with laughter, nearly falling over from the intensity.

"We're up to nothing," Aragorn spoke, more in control of himself than Gimli. "We were making observations."

At this Ireth lifted a brow and stared at him to explain more. She was becoming quite demanding and she was beginning to quite like this side of herself; she didn't even know it existed until after she'd entered Lothlórien. When Aragorn didn't respond right away, she frowned impatiently, "Observations of what?" She paused, "Or who?"

"A certain elf and his, uh, love interest." Gimli quipped, stuttering slightly.

Ireth's mind went blank. The only other elf besides her here was Legolas. And he had a love interest in someone? She must be human then, and very beautiful. Blinking away her thoughts, she looked at Gimli and Aragorn again. Aragorn was looking at Gimli like he'd just lost his mind while Gimli was watching Ireth with the slightest hint of amusement.

"That's…okay." Ireth walked away, flustered. They said he had a love interest. They did not say it was a human, nor did they… Actually, now that she thought about it, they just said he had a love interest, and they were making observations of them. She turned back around and plopped herself between the two. "So what exact observations have you made of these two?"

She noted the look Aragorn and Gimli gave each other over her head.

"Well," Gimli started, coughing to clear his voice. "He's protective of her."

Ireth shrugged, "But Legolas is always protective of people, especially when their close to him." She gave Gimli a sly grin, "Like when he stuck up for you when Eomer threatened you."

The dwarf harrumphed, "It was a different kind of protective."

"But it's still protective." Ireth said. "What else have you observed?"

They both looked at her silently, then looked to each other with a questioning look in their eyes. "Why so curious, Milady?"

Ireth tossed a loose strand of hair over her shoulder, effectively whacking Aragorn on the cheek. "Is it not normal to be concerned for a friend?"

At this, Gimli and Aragorn arched a brow and looked at each other. Ireth glanced at both of them. "Why are you looking at each other like that?"

"Oh no reason, lassie." Gimli shrugged, than looked around suddenly. "Where is that elf anyways?"

Ireth shrugged, standing up. "Not sure, but he'll pop up when he feels like it."

"Who will pop up when he feels like it?"

Ireth let out a little squeal, gripping whoever it was behind her, and flipping them. When she focused on who had scared her, she let out a sigh of relief. "You can't just sneak up on someone like that! You nearly scared the life out of me!"

A surprised looking Legolas looked at her with a mild amount of amusement. "I think I'll remember that."

She frowned, kneeling down to look at him closer, "You aren't hurt are you?"

The elf quickly stood, popping his back with little effort. "I'm fine," He said quickly.

Ireth quirked a brow at him, stood quickly and poked his back. He stiffened slightly. "Bruised I believe, nothing too bad though," She probed his back slightly, not noticing the looks passing between Aragorn and Gimli. "I don't think anything is broken either."

She smiled at Legolas, wondering at the look on his face but decided not to question it. Instead, she turned to Aragorn and Gimli, "You wouldn't happen to know where—"

"I'm right here." Eowyn spoke up as she started walking by their small camp. Ireth grinned, waved by to the boys and quickly joined her, hooking arms and chattering away like they were old friends.

On the second day of travel, Ireth never saw Gimli, Aragorn, Eowyn or Legolas. She had been ambushed by the children who wanted her to sing to them songs from the elves. Of course, she didn't know any elvish songs, much to the surprise and disappointment of the children and adults who were gathered around her and Arod. Today she was riding him, with a small girl sitting in front of her. Telling another fib, she sang to them children's songs of the humans she's lived with starting with her favorite. All the kids were listening raptly, much to her amusement, as these kids seemed much more intelligent than their counterparts in her society.

…" _With the bird in the egg,_

 _And the egg in the nest,_

 _And the nest on the branch_

 _And the branch on the tree_

 _And the tree in the hole_

 _And the hole in the ground_

 _And the green grass grows all around, all around_

 _And the green grass grows all around."_

After getting the gist of the song, the children had begun to sing along with her and now she along with everyone else around were laughing as they finished the song. Some of the kids ran off, but were soon replaced with other's that heard the joyful tune and wanted her to sing another song. The girl in front of her turned around in the saddle, looking up at her with big blue eyes.

"Do you know any other kinds of songs?"

Ireth thought about it, looking towards the sky with a thoughtful look. "I know a lot of love songs." She paused, looking at the girl with curiosity, "what kind of song would you like to hear?"

The girl looked thoughtful for a moment before looking at me with a question in her eyes. "Do you know any other songs about nature?"

Ireth blinked, sifting through her extensive collection of lullabies, nursery rhymes and Disney songs. She smiled when she found one close fitting to the girls request.

"Let me think of how it starts…." She was silent a moment.

" _Under the snow, beneath the frozen streams_

 _There is Life_

 _You have to know, when nature sleeps she dreams_

 _There is life_

 _And the colder the winter, the warmer the spring_

 _The deeper the sorrow, the more our hearts sing_

 _Even when you can't see it inside everything_

 _There is Life._

 _After the rain, the sun will reappear_

 _There is life_

 _After the pain, the joy will still be here_

 _There is life_

 _For it's out of the darkness that we learn to see_

 _And out of the silence that songs come to be_

 _And all that we dream of awaits patiently_

 _There is life, there is life."_

There was a loud round of applause, surrounding Ireth's immediate location. She grinned sheepishly, looking around at the people. Her day continued more or less like this, though she did collaborate on one song with Eowyn, to which they sang together at the front of the caravan where Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas heard their friends' secret talent for the first time. Her voice was unique to most elven voices as it was slightly deeper than most and had a quality to it that couldn't be described.

Ireth sang almost every Disney song that would fit in with this era, tweaking a few here and there so that people wouldn't be confused or raise suspicion. On the third day, Ireth felt high strung. Instead of riding near the back where the children and women were, she rode Arod at the front, her eyes trained on the horizon. Something wasn't right, she could feel it.

Hama and another soldier rode forward to scout the area ahead. Moments later, she heard what could only be described as a monstrous roar, the screams of a terrified horse and yelling. Next thing she knew, Legolas yelled out, "A scout!"

A scout of what?

"Riders to the front of the column! Get the women and children out!" Théoden called.

"Ireth!" Aragorn called, as he rode up, "Go with the women; you are not prepared for this type of battle."

Ireth wanted to protest, she truly did, but she saw the look on his face. So she rode over to Gimli, and dismounted Arod, helping the dwarf up. "Go, Arod!"

She slapped the horse on the rump and trailed behind the remnants of the women and children who were currently going down another path. She followed a short distance, making sure that they were keeping with the group when she stopped. Agarwaen was vibrating rapidly in its sheath, something it only did when orcs or anything twisted of the like were around. Listening closely, Ireth tensed, searching her surroundings. She heard something that sounded close to a dog. Ireth pulled her sword out, gripping the handle tightly in her palm.

When it leapt from the rocky face of the hill, Ireth was surprised to see what looked like a mutated hyena with an orc on its back. Excuse her, a dead orc, as its head was missing and seemed to be stuck in place on the…thing.

"Nice doggy." Ireth mumbled. Not the wisest thing to say; it seemed to understand her words. It growled, and lunged for her. Agarwaen, though, was prepared and buzzed with excitement as the hyena opened its jaws. Ireth shoved the blade upward, grimacing as the tip of Agarwaen poked through the top of its head. She pulled the sword out. Flinching, she looked at her arm where its teeth grazed against the leather, completely cutting through it and some of her skin. Ireth let out a curse, and ran forward telling the stragglers who watched with terrified eyes to go quickly before another showed up.

Ireth trailed behind the group, ready to kill anything that the soldiers missed. Lucky for her, only two other hyenas, one with a live rider and the other rider less, made to follow them. It was late afternoon when Helm's Deep came into view. Hope stirred in the caravan as they started to walk faster.

As Ireth walked under the gates, a horrible feeling filled her chest. She followed a group of soldiers up to the wall, ignoring them when they said she wasn't allowed up there. Ireth stood on the wall, looking out toward the direction they'd come. There was a dust cloud of horse rider's approaching, but somehow this only twisted the horrible feeling into a worse feeling. Something went wrong.


	11. Waiting and Armor

When the riders came up the ramp, Ireth searched the riders, finding Gimli and Legolas on Arod. Her gaze traveled through the horses. Hasufel and Aragorn were missing. Panic started to blossom in her chest as she raced down the stone steps. She passed Théoden who looked over the crowd and met Eowyn's searching gaze. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

Ireth knew then why Aragorn and Hasufel weren't there. Blinking she looked for Legolas, but didn't find him in the groups of riders that trailed into the walls of Helm's Deep. She went back up to the wall, hoping to spot him from a higher vantage point, but even with her improved elvish sight, she didn't spy him among the people rushing around. With a sigh, Ireth looked back over the wall towards the horizon. After a moment, she found it hard to breathe as shock started to settle in. Aragorn couldn't have died, he was one of the most skilled warriors she knew, which wasn't a lot, but it still counted for something. He had been so full of hope and determination. It was impossible to see him gone. Ireth wiped away tears from her eyes; she was going to refuse this. He wasn't dead.

Taking a deep breath, she turned at the sound of her name. Legolas stood behind her with a mournful look on his face.

"You know." He stated, coming to stand beside her. At her nod, he placed a consoling hand on her shoulder. "He fell from a cliff when he was fighting a Warg rider."

This new information made her nod her head, "I'll give him until the sun starts to go down."

She was aware of the look Legolas was giving her, and simply looked at him with a hopeful expression, "If my ten year old self can survive being thrown out of a carriage and over the side of a bridge, Aragorn can survive falling off a cliff. Especially if he has a Warg to break his fall."

Tears came to her eyes again as she whipped back around to stare at the plains ahead of them. Her shoulders were shaking from her effort not to cry, she didn't want to cry; not until she knew for a fact that Aragorn wasn't going to come shuffling through the gates of Helm's Deep. Legolas squeezed her shoulder before letting his hand drop, he left her to stare out over the walls, thinking of her words. He looked at the necklace in his hand, also finding it hard to believe that Aragorn would die without this on him.

Looking over his shoulder at her figure, he nodded, agreeing with her. He'd give him until sun down as well. He went and busied himself speaking with Gimli and Théoden, figuring out exactly what his plan was now that they were in Helm's Deep. Throughout the day he went to check on Ireth, worry filling him when every time he found her on the wall it was in the exact location he'd left her in during the earlier hours. He checked on her once more before going to find Gimli, but paused upon hearing her voice in a melody. She was singing low under her breath, more so to herself as comfort than anything else. He smiled at the words.

" _It's been a long day, without you my friend_

 _And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again._

 _We've come a long way, from where we began,_

 _And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again._

 _When I see you again."_

Legolas smiled fondly at her, than looked up at the sky noting the position of the sun. Aragorn had a couple hours at most. He went looking for Gimli.

The next day, Ireth blinked upon seeing a rider coming towards Helm's Deep. He was dressed in black and slumped over the horse in exhaustion. The sky was a deep blue from the sun setting, practically wracking on the nerves Ireth was feeling. As the rider came closer, Ireth could see the familiar face of Aragorn. She'd never felt such joy in her life. Racing down the steps and nearly slipping, she weaved around people gathered around him. She heard Gimli, chuckling with relief and humor.

"Aragorn!" Ireth called. He'd barely turned at the sound of his name when she slammed into him with a careful hug. She saw the mild wound on his shoulder and grimaced when she saw it, but none the less launched herself at him. She was so glad she'd been right.

"Ireth," He said in a huff of breath. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he smiled gently at her, seeing the pure relief in her green-brown eyes.

He turned serious as he looked to Gimli, "Where's the King?"

The dwarf made a motion with his head, and Aragorn quickly went down the suggested path, Ireth following closely behind him. She slowed when she saw Legolas, smiling when he met Aragorn and after saying something in elvish told him he looked terrible. They exchanged wry smiles and then Legolas handed Aragorn something and allowed him forward to see the King. Ireth fell into step beside Legolas.

"You had faith he would pull through." Legolas said lowly, glancing down at her, surprised to see a rather sheepish look on her face.

"I started to panic after you left," she scratched behind her ear, her cheeks tinging pink as she looked up at him with mirth in her eyes. "I remembered that after I fell off the bridge, I was unconscious for nearly two weeks."

Legolas halted in walking staring at her with wide eyes. She let out a small laugh, "That was my reaction as well."

She pranced forward into the hall, coming to a halt as she heard Aragorn's request to speak to the King.

"A great host you say?" King Théoden asked his back to us as he spoke.

"All of Isengard is emptied." Aragorn informed.

"How many?"

"Ten thousand strong, at least."

King Théoden turned around, a look of disbelief and horror mixed on his face, "Ten thousand?"

"An army bred for a single purpose," Aragorn had a somber look on his face as he looked at Theoden, "To destroy the world of men. They'll be here by night fall."

Ireth looked to King Théoden, concern filling her when a stubborn glint appeared in his eyes. The King started to march off, "Let them come!"

After a moment filled with shock, Aragorn quickly walked after the King, Legolas and Gimli hot on his tail. Ireth huffed, thinking Théoden slightly mad, and ran to catch up to the group. They were trailing the King through Helm's Deep, hearing his orders for every man and strong lad able to bear arms to be prepared for battle by nightfall.

Ireth felt sick listening to Théoden speak proudly of the Hall and explain his battle strategy. She had a strong feeling that things were not going to go as planned, especially when Gimli started to explain what Uruk-Hai were to Théoden.

He looked down at Gimli with a threat in his voice, "I know how to defend my own Keep."

They slid back into the Keep, Ireth looking out to the plains as the doors were shut. She sighed, trailing after them. She listened to Aragorn try and reason with Théoden, but he was stubborn, and low on hope. She could understand now what he was doing. If his people were to go down, he'd want them to go down fighting.

"…you must call for aid, my Lord." Aragorn tried one more time.

The King turned to him, turmoil shining in his eyes, "And who will come?"

He motioned towards Ireth and Legolas, "Elves," then to Gimli, "Dwarves? We are not so lucky in our friends as you. The old alliance are dead."

"Gondor will answer."

"Gondor!" Théoden scoffed, pure anger in his face. "Where was Gondor when the west fold fell? Where was Gondor when our enemies closed in around us?! Where was Gon—"

He cut himself off, gaining control over his emotions. He looked at Aragorn, "No, my lord, Aragorn, we are alone."

He stalked off giving orders for the women and children to be brought to the caves. Ireth gazed over at Legolas with a piercing look—she saw the look of consideration on his face. "If you even think about trying to put me in the caves, I'll tie you to a column."

Gimli let out boisterous laugh.

Legolas, Aragorn and Gimli, went to the weapons room as Ireth split from them and stood watching the already armed and armored men scurry about. Many looked fearful as they started to barricade the doors, others preparing provisions and taking them into the caves.

All too soon the sun began to dip behind the mountains. Legolas, much to her surprise, had provided her with armory. It wasn't much, shoulder guards and arm guards, anything else would have been too heavy and too big. She grinned at him, and followed him to Aragorn. Much to her surprise, he apologized to him.

"I was wrong to despair."

Aragorn spoke in elvish, placing a hand on his shoulder. Any curiosity Ireth had for their situation was quickly turned into a great amount of humor as Gimli came in, grumbling under his breath as he tried to adjust the chainmail he was putting on.

"If we had the time, I'd get this adjusted!" He spoke as the rest of the chainmail impressively hit the floor. Ireth was practically grinning from ear to ear at Gimli's put out look. "It's a wee tight around the chest."

Ireth started to laugh, quieting when a horn blared. She looked at Legolas, stunned as she recognized the sound.

"That is no Orc horn." Legolas said, a puzzled frown on his face. They quickly left the room, hearing for the gates to be opened.

Ireth heard a familiar voice speaking as they rounded the corner. "We've come to honor that Allegience."

Aragorn and Legolas quickly went down the steps to Haldir, Ireth pausing to get over her surprise. Soon she was bolting down the stairs, surprising everyone as she practically plowed everyone over.

"You are most welcomed." Aragorn barely moved out of the way on time as Ireth launched herself at the March Warden.

"Haldir!" She'd hit him with so much force that he had to spin to keep his footing. Ireth was practically buzzing with excitement as she grinned up at him. He laughed, putting a hand on the top of her head as she took a step back, allowing Legolas to greet the elf. Haldir turned his attention to Théoden King.

"We are proud to fight alongside Men once more."

 **The chapter is short but I felt like that was a good stopping point. All the action is starting to pop up and you'll get to see my quite horrible skills at writing action scenes. Please review and let me know how I'm doing with my story telling skills.**


	12. Haldir

Ireth stood beside Haldir on the wall, deciding to fight beside her guardian and mentor during this battle. At first, Haldir had wanted her far from the frontlines of the battle, but as she pulled Agarwaen from its sheath, the metal glistening in the moonlight, she had a fierce expression on her face. An expression with the desire to be in battle, to protect the people around her.

With a deep breath, he placed a hand on her shoulder and faced the hoard of Uruk-Hai that approached. Ireth, never learning to use a bow, stood with the archers, her sword drawn and vibrating with excitement. Her mood seemed to have been shifting in and out of positivity and neutrality. As of right now, her mood was more somber than when they'd first taken their stances on the wall. Nerves had her hands gripping the hilt of Agarwaen tightly, her palms becoming itchy. There was a distant boom, causing Ireth to look up as a drop of rain fell on her cheek.

She moped at the sky as they were quickly drenched from the pouring rain, before grinning at the elf beside her, "There are many stories I've heard from my old home where an important battle is always fought in the rain."

Haldir looked down at her, amusement in his eyes, "Is that good?"

She nodded with a toothy grin, "Indeed. The victors are usually those fighting for the good of the world."

The army of Saruman stopped their march, and silence remained. Ireth could hear Aragorn speaking above the rain in elvish to the elven archers as they prepared their bows for firing. She heard Legolas' voice and then all was silent. The Uruks started to slam their spears on the ground, the sound and echo sounding similar to thunder. There were several roars sounding making Ireth grimace from the sound. Someone let loose an arrow, silence ensuing as an Uruk fell to the ground dead.

"What a shot." Ireth mumbled, seeing the brown featherings of the arrow and knowing it was a human who made the shot. An elf on her other side made a sound of laughter—it was too gracious to be called a snort. The silence was interrupted as the Uruks became angry and started to charge for the wall. On Aragorn's command the elves started firing arrows. Many of the Uruk-Hai fell, white tailed arrows sticking out of their necks and sides.

Ireth watched with her mouth set in a grim line. She never thought she would ever be involved with any war, and yet, here she was, standing in the midst of battle. A part of her mind was deeply troubled by the fact that she would have to kill, but the more rational yet still emotional side of her mind was completely content with killing the Uruk-Hai. It had startled her when she first discovered it, but the more she puzzled over it, the more she was confused. The Uruk-Hai were not human, therefore it was okay to kill them—this is the thought that worried her most; they sought to destroy the people of Rohan and killed mercilessly, as she discovered with Boromir; Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas, along with everyone else believed the Orcs, the Uruk-Hai and Saruman to be evil and servants of darkness—this gave her a sort of peace in the fact that she will have to kill them, if only a little.

"Ladders!" Ireth focused on the situation at hand, pushing aside her mental troubles for later sifting and sorting. She tensed as the top of a ladder landed in front of her with an Uruk on it. She cut his foot off and with a roar the creature fell backward, nocking several off that were climbing up the ladder. It wasn't enough though, no matter how many she cut down from coming up the ladders nearest her, there were just too many. Too many ladders, and it didn't help that even if they knocked the ladders down, the Uruks would just raise them again. Soon she was back to back with Haldir, cutting and slicing Uruk-Hai. Ireth noted with grimness that many of the elves that were beside her were lying on their sides. She pushed at an Uruk-Hai, knocking him over the wall. A little ways down, she could see Aragorn on the wall, fighting. Turning her attention back to her own battle, Ireth pulled out her nameless dagger and stabbed an Uruk in its chest, Agarwaen currently embedded in said Uruks thigh. Grimacing, she pulled the knife out and put it away, knowing for a fact her hand would have a lovely bruise emblazoned on it. She heard Legolas name called and looked up, seeing Aragorn pointing at an Uruk running toward the wall, carrying a sparking torch. Ireth's blood ran cold. She knocked an Uruk out of her path, watching Legolas try and shoot the Uruk down, but it kept running.

When she could no longer see the Uruk, she ran back towards Haldir, bracing herself against the wall just as the stones shot up into the air with a thunderous noise that made her ears ring. Ireth always thought the war movies to be dramatic when the protagonist got caught in a blast, but just being _near_ the blast, Ireth found herself slightly shocked, and dizzy in the head. When Haldir sent her a worried look, nearly getting stabbed in his distraction, she shook her head and quickly got to her feet, slicing down an approaching Uruk. Haldir was slicing through another Uruk, before turning to Ireth and guiding her towards the stairs.

"Go!" He told her, "Quickly, before we're over run!"

Ireth pushed his hand away, "I am not leaving you here!"

She pushed her sword into the chest of an Uruk-Hai climbing up the ladder and with a mighty heave, with the help of another elf, sent the ladder skidding down the wall sideways. Haldir guided her to the steps again, "Go, now!"

Ireth, skidded away from the stairs, pulling Haldir out of the way of the swing of an Uruks sword. Without thinking, Ireth pulled her leg up and kicked the Uruk down the stairs, ignoring the pleading look Haldir was giving her to go down the stairs. She was starting to become angry and used it to slay any Uruk that came her way. Ireth didn't want to admit it, but she was starting to tire, and no amount of adrenaline could lie to her about that. The only thing is, she refused to leave Haldir behind. He meant so much to her, forget the fact that they weren't officially family, but she was the closest thing she had to one and she didn't want anything to happen to him. She wouldn't let anything happen to him.

After his third attempt at getting her to retreat, Haldir gave up and instead opted to watch her back instead. He had a queer feeling though, that that was what she was doing for him. The two together had made a large dent in the amount of Uruk-Hai on the wall near them, the other elves, that were not shooting, following their example and breaking up into two-man teams. Even though he worried for Ireth's safety, he was still rather proud of her. She looked similar to a war queen, her eyes blazing green, the brown muted with her fierce emotions. Her hair had been braided back to stay out of her way, her circlet gleaming in her weaved tresses to keep it from flying off in battle.

There were times she would fumble, looking torn between making one move over another, nearly getting herself stabbed in the process. It worried him that she would think about her movements, and what she would decide to do. In a battle such as this, while it's important to have a strategy, it's far too dangerous to think of trivial things such as what trick of the sword to use.

He heard Aragorn call his name, pausing after he struck an Uruk down to look at the man. "To the Keep!"

He nodded, calling out for the elves to retreat from the wall. He stabbed an Uruk behind him and just as he began to pull his sword from the carcass, an intense pain travelled up his side. He turned, and struck the Uruk who'd managed to slice at his side down. The pain was unimaginable, and it brought him down to his knee. A sense of sorrow filled him as his gaze landed on several of his dead brethren. He looked up just as he felt a cool breeze on his face and the flash of golden brown hair in his peripheral.

"Haldir!" Ireth swung her sword blocking the Uruk about to give the killing blow to Haldir. Anger pooled into her as she stared down the Uruk. It roared in her face, clenching on to her sword. She grabbed Sigilas and slammed the knife into his face with a quick movement.

The creature dropped as she turned to fight off another Uruk, the remaining elves on the wall creating an opening long enough for Aragorn to help Haldir down the wall and fall back. She quickly took down another Uruk, hearing Legolas call out to her, and went in the direction of the keep. Her mind seemed to be starting to fray as she entered the Keep, watching as two elves, similar in looks and build to Haldir, escort him away from the battle. She made to follow but stopped hearing her name called. Shaking her head, she pushed her worries aside and went to help defend the keep. Until they somehow managed to get themselves a break, she would focus on the battle at hand and focus on nothing else.

As she came atop the high walls of the keep, she saw Legolas toss a rope and call for Aragorn and Gimli. She quickly went to join him and help her comrades up the wall, a small feeling of fear developing in the pit of her stomach. They'd been out on the bridge by themselves?

Ireth felt all the more fearful now. She knew Aragorn and Gimli to be great warriors, but you could be the greatest warrior in the world and still be struck down in battle. The thought made her sick to her stomach and numb to everything else. She barely noticed being ushered towards the halls, where they barricaded themselves inside. She barely noted the words Aragorn and Théoden exchanged. She looked around the hall, fear gripping her, because she could not see Haldir anywhere.

Legolas just finished barricading the door with one of the halls heavy tables when he turned and saw the look of pure distress on Ireth's face. He noted that Aragorn saw it too, as confusion began to make itself known on the Ranger's face.

He looked back at Ireth, and began to worry. Her face was far too pale, even for an elf—and this worried him more as her skin was strangely a shade or two darker than most, though still pale. Her eyes were wide and glistened with unshed tears, a look of panic beginning to settle in her features. She seemed to be looking around for someone, Legolas realized. He approached her slowly, placing a hand on her shoulder. Surprise and something else twisted in his stomach; she was trembling uncontrollably, her sword dripping with black blood and gripped tightly in her hand. That and she didn't seem to notice his presence, just continued to look around with her emotions becoming more and more evident with each face she passed.

"Ireth?"

Her gaze travelled to him, and he watched as she blinked a few times, as if trying to comprehend who she was gazing at. She opened her mouth and in the barest whisper, a tremble in her words, spoke, "Where is Haldir?"

He understood then. Legolas was one of the few who knew of her past; in fact he was sure Aragorn didn't even know; and he knew how much family had meant to her. Before leaving Lothlórien, Haldir had spoken with him, saying that he would watch over Ireth while she remained there. Not only that but he was also her mentor in training with a sword, there was no doubt that she'd formed a close relationship with the March Warden. Legolas didn't know what to tell her; he had no clue of what became of the March Warden. Not knowing what else to do, he quickly brought the elleth into an embrace.

 **Okay so this chapter is shorter than most I believe but that was a good place to stop and I'm really sleepy and wanted to get this up here for you guys.**

 **I thought the scene would be a little more dramatic if it were in Haldir's point of view, but I don't know….so uhm….please review…and please don't kill me.**


	13. The Battle's End

**This is a long chapter...I think...**

Her eyes were wide and glistened with unshed tears, a look of panic beginning to settle in her features. She seemed to be looking around for someone, Legolas realized. He approached her slowly, placing a hand on her shoulder. Surprise and something else twisted in his stomach; she was trembling uncontrollably, her sword dripping with black blood and gripped tightly in her hand. That and she didn't seem to notice his presence, just continued to look around with her emotions becoming more and more evident with each face she passed.

"Ireth?" Gently he pried the sword from her hand, swiping a cloth from the floor to clean her sword, and sheathed it for her.

Her gaze travelled to him, and he watched as she blinked a few times, as if trying to comprehend who she was gazing at. She opened her mouth and in the barest whisper, a tremble in her words, spoke, "Where is Haldir?"

He understood then. Legolas was one of the few who knew of her past; in fact he was sure Aragorn didn't even know; and he knew how much family had meant to her. Before leaving Lothlórien, Haldir had spoken with him, saying that he would watch over Ireth while she remained there. Not only that but he was also her mentor in training with a sword, there was no doubt that she'd formed a close relationship with the March Warden. Legolas didn't know what to tell her; he had no clue of what became of the March Warden. Not knowing what else to do, he quickly brought the elleth into an embrace.

"Is he…is he?" She whispered into his chest, her hands gripping the fabric on his arms. Legolas tried not to panic, looking around to try and spot the March Warden to ease the elleth's distress. He caught one of the eyes of the elves, beckoning him forward. "Locate the March Warden. Immediately."

The elf quickly went off in search as Aragorn approached them, leading Arod and Brego towards them. There was a concerned expression on his face as he gazed upon his friends. Ireth was visibly trembling with emotion, clinging to Legolas front. Aragorn met Legolas eyes and spoke softly in Sindarin. "What's wrong?"

"She's worried for Haldir." Legolas spoke, his gaze watching the approaching elf he'd sent off. Aragorn looked at the elf, both expecting the worst.

"I have located our March Warden," The elf started, "He is currently injured and unable to do battle. However his brothers Rúmil and Orophin are with him; they are healing him as we speak; just enough that his life is not in danger."

Legolas let out a sigh of relief, gaining Ireth's attention. She looked up at Legolas, wide eyed. He smiled at her, encouraging a spark of hope in her. "Haldir will be alright; he's with healers."

It was like those words flipped a switch in her; her shoulders sagged with relief, her eyes shutting with content. Though her hands were still trembling, Legolas noted, her small hands still clinging to his sleeves. He didn't really mind, watching her curiously and waiting patiently for her to compose herself, both oblivious to the amused dwarf. Until he let out a chuckle. Both their heads turned to look at him. Gimli was currently leaning against the stone wall near the tower, his axe slung over his shoulder in a lazy manner. There was a knowing twinkle in his eyes as he watched the two elves. Ireth blinked, wondering why he was looking at her like that, and then felt arms around her stiffen, which in turn caused her to stiffen. Legolas and Ireth looked back at each other and in perfect unison took a step back from each other. Ireth's cheeks turned red as she quickly looked around noting that they were getting a lot of snickers from those passing them, especially the elves.

Legolas let out a cough, and quickly turned to Aragorn, who traded his concerned look for a rather irritatingly amused smile. It was quickly wiped away when the doors started to be pounded from the outside. "Quickly, we are riding out."

Legolas nodded, and guided Ireth to Gimli. At her defiant look, he spoke, "You're still shaken from Haldir's near death; you are not in any shape for more battle. Stay with Gimli."

Ireth sighed, turning and following Gimli down the corridor. He was right, as he always is. Even as she trailed at a leisurely pace behind the dwarf, she could still feel her fingers trembling, though she wondered if it was because of her near meltdown or the adrenaline that was still running through her. When they came upon a horn atop what Ireth was thinking a tower, she turned around, her hand on the hilt of her sword, ready to attack anything that wasn't human or elf climbing up the steps after them.

The sounds of the horn were loud, echoing throughout the halls and sky as the King and his soldiers charged through the Uruk-Hai, cutting them down as they rode out into the large mass. Ireth peeked over the side of the tower, spotting Legolas atop Arod and slightly to his left and in front of him, Aragorn on Brego. It seemed that the warriors had a distinct advantage over the Uruk-Hai on the horses. From what Ireth could see, heads were flying left and right.

She spoke to soon. Several men and horses went down almost at once, her heart flying to her throat. Gimli snapped her out of her war watching. "Come lass, we have to clean the halls of the Uruks."

Ireth followed down the steps after Gimli, drawing her sword. Gimli let out a battle cry as he charged several Uruk-Hai down the hall. Ireth rushed after him, slicing one that came dangerously close to beheading Gimli.

"31!" The dwarf grinned.

Ireth glanced at him, "Are you counting how many you take down?"

Gimli laughed cheekily, "Aye, me and the elf have a competition going on. That elf won't know what hit him!"

Ireth rolled her eyes—males. She ran down the hall, spotting the shadows of approaching Uruk-Hai. When the bodies of the shadows turned the corner, she stopped short, blinking. Who were they?

She lowered her sword slightly, looking them over. They were dressed in Rohirrim garb, spears and swords held at the ready. They seemed hesitant to attack her and she took that opportunity to speak. "You were not here for the beginning of the battle…"

A broad-shouldered man spoke, his voice gruff, "No, we arrived with Gandalf the White not too long ago."

At that, she completely lowered her sword, "Gandalf brought reinforcements?"

The man was looking at her suspiciously, "Yes."

Letting out a sigh, Ireth smiled with relief, "Thank the heavens."

She turned away from the group, looking for Gimli. Where did he go? Frowning, and forgetting all about the handful of Rohirrim behind her, she retraced her steps, going down a side hall. She was vaguely aware of the footsteps that echoed her, but ignored them as they came upon what she dubbed the main hall. Gimli stood, facing off more Uruk-Hai than he could handle. Ireth scowled, her fear and slight anger giving her the courage to let her tongue fly.

"Gimli, you stubborn dwarf!" She ran to his side, swiftly bringing her sword up and slicing a line in a nearby Uruk-Hai's face. Ireth and Gimli fought beside each other, slicing at any Uruk that came up behind the other. Over the chaos, they could hear a man call out, "Rohirrim, attack!"

Before they knew it, the main hall was empty and littered with the bodies of Uruk-Hai. Ireth popped her back, carefully picking her way through the bodies. Worry started to nag at her again. There were many Uruks lying around, who's to say they didn't get as far as the back halls? Ireth quickly turned away, walking down new halls cautiously. She peaked her ears for any sign of the remaining Uruk-Hai, frowning as she came upon the main hall once again. The men had dispersed, and Gimli was nowhere to be seen. Crossing the hall, she went out to the courtyard, which had been running ramped with Uruk-Hai the last time she'd seen it. There were still Uruk-Hai, a lot actually, but there were many horsemen and just barely she thought she spotted Gimli.

An Uruk-Hai started for her, nearly skewering her through if it hadn't been for its mighty roar and her quick reflexes. This Uruk seemed determined to kill her, bringing down its sword over and over again, not giving her any room to attack. Ireth used Agarwaen as a shield, her left palm pressing against the face of the blade, the edges biting into her fingers. Each blow the Uruk made vibrated her sword, sending tremors to her arms; and with each blow she took a step back, otherwise the blows would surely break something. Mainly her arms.

A horseman galloped passed, slicing the back of the Uruk. It roared, turning to look at the horseman. Ireth took the opportunity, going for its head. The rider turned his horse around, coming up to her as the body fell forward. "What are you doing on the battlefield?"

The thank you that Ireth was about to give him immediately died on her lips. She recognized his voice, though she wasn't sure from where. "Obviously, I'm fighting the Uruk-Hai."

She saw his eyes narrow but wasn't exactly looking for a debate at the moment, so she turned and practically ran into a fray of Uruk and foot soldiers. Ireth spent the rest of the battle avoiding the horseman and taking down as many Uruk-Hai as possible, all the while huffing about men and their misogynic ways.

Ireth was looking around for Legolas Gimli and Aragorn, knowing if she found one she'd most definitely find the other two. She paused upon hearing Gimli's gruff voice. Following the sound, she raised her brow when she saw the dwarf, sitting atop a dead Uruk-Hai, his axe embedded into its spine. Her other brow raised to join its mate when Legolas shot an arrow into the body.

"42."

"It was already dead!"

"It was twitching."

"That's 'cause my axe is in its spine!"

Ireth couldn't help it, she let the laugh bubble out from her mouth as she approached. The two turned to look at her, Gimli giving her a suspicious look.

"And what do you find so amusing, Lass?"

She grinned at the two, "By your bickering, I take it you are both alright?"

The dwarf huffed, "Alright? What do you take me for, an amateur? I am quite alright."

Ireth shook her head, spying Aragorn just a foot away with King Théoden and…

Ireth realized two things at once; one being that the horseman from earlier was standing beside Théoden and two, said horseman was so familiar because it was Eomer, the man who offered them the horses. Grimacing, Ireth turned her attention away from the man and looked at Legolas, who was currently looking back and forth between Ireth and Eomer with confusion.

"You!"

Ireth jumped, looking to Eomer with surprise. He looked slightly angry and slightly something else, though she wasn't exactly sure what it was.

"You nearly got yourself killed!" he continued, walking closer to her. Ireth was suddenly aware of all eyes swiveling to her. She felt her cheeks turn pink. "Why aren't you in the caves with the other women and children?"

"Because I was more useful in the battle than in the caves." She said, giving Legolas a sharp look when he looked as if he were to say something, though no matter how well meant it was, it would not help her case. This seemed to tick off Eomer more than answer his question. Lucky for her, Legolas stepped up to Eomer, placing a hand on the man's shoulder.

"She fought on the walls with the rest of our kin, next to her father, the March Warden of the elves of Lothlórien. It was in her right to fight in battle." Legolas spoke low in her defense, but Ireth leaned slightly away from the elf with a raised brow. Don't get her wrong, she was moved that he wished to protect her from Eomer's discomfort or anger, whatever it was, but this was coming from the elf who lied to her so she would stay in Lothlórien instead of continue on with them.

Aragorn turned away, covering his laughter with a cough, he knew just by Ireth's expression that she was thinking of Legolas deceit on their departure, but couldn't see that right now he simply wished to guard her from Eomer's gaze.

"I don't see how this is such a problem if I am _alive_ and the battle is _over_." Ireth said, looking from Legolas to Eomer with disapproval. "But if you both insist on arguing over whether I should have been in the battle or not. Know this—I do not care what you say, I will go into battle whether I have permission or not."

With that said, she turned on her heel and marched off, a little surprised at herself. She was starting to speak her mind more often, and she wasn't sure if it were all the fighting and killing she's done, or if it was because she was tired of people trying to make decision's for her. Of course, it was only the second time it happened, but still, once is enough. Continuing her trek, to who only knows where, Ireth found herself in the tower where the horn Gimli sounded was. She looked over the edge, propping her elbow on the wall to hold her head up, glowering as she watched the men begin to pile the Uruk- Hai and burn them. Even from the tower she could smell the putrid scent the flames gave off from the burning flesh. She sighed, thinking. Honestly, she couldn't be mad with Eomer—he was used to women not fighting in battles and doing as they were told. However, she felt that he crossed the line when he got in her face about it. Ireth thought back, well he wasn't exactly in her face, but he was imposing all the same. She wouldn't admit it, but she was glad Legolas stepped in, even if it was entirely misguided and hypocritical. She started to hum, thinking of one of her favorite songs and grinned, remembering her delight upon finding one of her favorite authors also doubles as a singer.

 _"_ _I must contain my anger or I won't control my power_

 _But gods how long I've waited just to see this very hour_

 _It's just as well I'm not the one who calls the storm of fire_

 _For I would turn this battle plain into your funeral pyre."_

Ireth snickered at the irony and thought of another song as she hummed the theme song to "Charmed". An old song, one she could barely remember came to mind. She tried to think, but couldn't find the words for it, so she attached it to another song that was far too short for her liking.

" _If only, If only the Woodpecker sighs_

 _The bark on the tree was as soft as the sky,_

 _And the wolf waits below, so hungry and lonely,_

 _He cries to the moon if only, if only._

 _…_

 _If I had words_

 _To make a day for you,_

 _I'd sing you a morning_

 _Golden and new_

 _I would make this day_

 _Last for all time_

 _Give you a night_

 _Deep in moonshine."_

Ireth laughed, a light airy sound. Singing felt pretty good, it at least brought her mind off other things. She looked at the sky thinking of another.

" _Who can say where the road goes?_

 _Where the day flows?_

 _Only time_

 _And who can say if your love grows_

 _As your heart chose?_

 _Only time…_

 _Who can say why your heart sighs_

 _As your love flies?_

 _Only time_

 _And who can say why your heart cries_

 _As your love lies?_

 _Only time…"_

She paused, trying to remember the right lyrics.

"Ireth?"

Said girl whipped around with a small squeak. A very amused and slightly curious Legolas stood behind her. "Legolas! You scared me! How long have you been standing there?"

He smiled, stepping forward to stand in front of her. "I apologize, I didn't mean to frighten you. As for how long I've been standing here," at this, his grin turned mischievous, "only time can tell."

Ireth really wanted to find it annoying that his avoidance of her question but found she couldn't. She let out a small laugh, shaking her head slightly. Tilting her head, to look at him, she gave him a teasing smile, "So did you just come up here to scare me or was there another reason you found me?"

"Gandalf wished for me to notify you that we would be returning to Edoras soon."

"Already?" Ireth asked, turning to face toward the fields once more. Leaning on the side of the wall, she rested her cheek on her hands, shutting her eyes. "I'm kind of sleepy."

She heard Legolas chuckle softly, feeling his hand stroke the back of her hair tenderly. The action sent butterflies swarming into her stomach, tingling the skin there. A shiver went down her spine, then went back up to the base of her neck. Unbeknownst to Ireth, her cheeks turned a vibrant shade of pink, much to Legolas amusement.

"Are you petting me?" Her muffled voice asked. Legolas let out a laugh, feeling his own cheeks burn slightly.

After a few more minutes of conversation, Legolas departed down the stairs, Ireth following moments later in search of a place to get in a nap. Everywhere seemed to be busy as people were milling in and out of the courtyard and weaving around each other in the halls. Finally, and most surprisingly, Ireth found a quiet place to hold her nap. The stables.

The horses must have been rubbed down and placed in their stalls for rest earlier on after the battle, seeing as there were only two people in the stables—two young boys who Ireth believed to be the stable hands. She went down the stalls until she heard a familiar snort and whinny. Ireth grinned, spying Arod's white face amongst the other colorful horses. The horse greeted her as she approached his stall, shoving his velvety nose to her cheek. She let out a laugh, though tired sounding still held a tremor of joy in it.

"Hey, boy, mind if I take a nap in here?" She cooed to the horses, gently stroking his face. Unlatching the stall, Ireth slipped in, re-latching the door though she was fairly certain that even if the door had been wide open the horse wouldn't have cantered off. She settled herself against the wall in the corner, just under the food trough filled to the brim with hay. Ireth shut her eyes, falling asleep to the sound and feel of Arod breathing at her ear.

 **Song Titles in order of appearance:**

 **Battle Dawn by Mercedes Lackey**

 **If Only If Only...I got it from Holes ssssoooo**

 **If I had Words...got that from Babe**

 **Only Time by Enya**

 **Now that that's done. I have questions for you guys:**

 **First off, I said the romance was subtle but I don't want my story to be one of those stories where during the whole thing there's interaction but it all seems platonic so at the end you're completely caught off guard when there's a marriage proposal or someone starts making out; So am I good on that front or do I need to add fluff?**

 **Second, Do I have any male readers? I want to appeal somehow to all my readers, so even though I'm horrible at it, I've been putting in a lot of action-ish scenes, as best as I could. But I'm mainly just curious out of the 5K+ people who've read this (which honestly I'm quite flabbergasted at) at least one has to be a guy.**

 **And thirdly, I'm curious to know what you think may happen next, if you have any ideas at all about some of the thing's that are going on, please I want to know what you guys think...Oh yes...**

 **So I know that Elrohir and Elladan go into the scary ghost cave thing ( I can't remember it's proper name cause it's 3 in the morning and I'm running on roughly 4 hours of sleep) in the books, and I was thinking whether I should have them in the story because I RRREEEAAALLLYYYY want to write them interacting with Ireth.**

 **I also feel like I'm getting Ireth's personality mixed up with a character from another LotR fan fiction I'm writing, so if she has any abrupt personality changes with no explanation please let me know!**

 **Please Review!**


	14. Welcome to Isengard

Ireth was vaguely aware that the wall she was leaning on was moving in a strange way—she could also hear many horses walking and men speaking with each other. None of that really stuck out as odd to her except for the fact that the wall she was leaning against was warm and had holes in it where her arms dangled. She blinked open her eyes and frowned, her gaze meeting the jaw line of someone with pale skin. His blonde hair tickled her cheek slightly and she sat up suddenly, nearly falling off a brown horse with realization.

A hand kept her from falling off backwards, as she was sitting with both legs on one side and her upper body leaning lightly on the hands owner's chest. Blinking away the bleariness in her eyes, Ireth looked up at the rider she'd been sleeping on with her cheeks beginning to twinge pink. Her embarrassment was quickly pushed aside as her mind comprehended exactly _who_ she had slept on.

"Haldir!" She grabbed him in a tight hug, eliciting a wince and slight chuckle from the March Warden. The few and remaining elves that still lived from the Battle of Helm's Deep laughed at the open display of affection. Ireth released him, looking around a bit stunned and saddened; ignoring Legolas, herself and the March Warden, only five elves remained of the _two hundred_ that had come to Rohan's aid. She turned her attention back to the March Warden, a concerned look on her face, "Are you alright?"

"I am," Haldir spoke carefully, glancing down at the hazel-eyed elleth. "I, along with those who remain from the elves, will return to Lothlórien, and there I will make my recovery."

Ireth nodded, wishing that he hadn't been injured, just so she could spend more time with him. Her gaze started shifting around again, looking for four familiar faces. She found Legolas, riding Arod and speaking with another elf. She smiled upon seeing the horse, remembering falling asleep in the horses stall. That made her frown and reel her head back to look at Haldir, "How exactly did I get from the stable to here?"

As she voiced this, two elves and Legolas ride up beside them. Ireth blinks in surprise, as the two elves are grinning at her with a light of curiosity in their eyes. She returned the smile, looking to Legolas and then Haldir with a large question mark in her eyes. Haldir looked slightly embarrassed, "These two are my brothers. Rúmil and Orophin. Otherwise known as your Uncles."

One of the elves started speaking with a sly grin on his face, though Ireth had no idea what he was saying. Haldir let out an aggravated sigh. "This one, on the right, is Rúmil and on the left Orophin. They don't speak Westron very well—if at all." Haldir rolled his eyes as Orophin laughed at the rather exasperated look on his face. He then spoke to Ireth, to which she gave a helpless smile that quickly turned into a confused look as she caught Legolas' name being said. Haldir cut him off and was practically hyperventilating as he spoke to his brother—of course both brother's found this excruciatingly funny, and were now laughing as if they had told some sort of joke. Ireth looked at Legolas to get some sort of clue but he was looking rather embarrassed, staring off in the other direction.

"What did he say?" Ireth asked, a little smile coming onto her face.

"It's best you do not know." Haldir grumbled, a frown pulling his face as he looked at a fixed point above her head. She followed his gaze, seeing Gandalf and Aragorn with Gimli trotting up to them. Aragorn held the reins of an extra horse, a deep gray mare with a white foot and strip on her face. Gandalf spoke as they came into hearing distance.

"We will be parting from the Column to Isengard; we have hobbits to retrieve." He informed Ireth, then turned to greeting the other elves.

Ireth, once again, looked at Haldir and gave him a hug; this one not disturbing the slightly healed wound on his side. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

He grinned, kissing the top of her head and helping her jump the small distance onto the mare's back. "I will be alright," he paused watching her carefully, "Be careful, Lellig."

Ireth blinked in surprise, though she wasn't sure exactly what it meant, she smiled and nodded, "I will. I won't be seeing you in Meduseld, will I?"

He shook his head and was a little surprised when she reached over again, gripping the horn of her horse's saddle and gave him a one armed hug. "You be careful as well then."

With a final kiss to the top of her head, they parted ways, Ireth cresting the hill after Gandalf and Aragorn, with Legolas and the dwarf riding beside her. Théoden King and his nephew, Eomer, joined them and they soon disappeared over the hill. Haldir and his brother's, plus the other three other remaining elves, split from the large column, riding at a swift gait toward the woods of the Lady of Light.

"No seriously, what did Orophin say?" Ireth pleaded with Legolas, who refused say anything of it. She's been pestering him since they crested the hill.

"It is best you do not know," Legolas said, coughing slightly. Aragorn was laughing, noting the pink tinge to the ellon's ear tips. Ireth huffed, not believing it for a second as they entered Fangorn Forest, but dropped the subject all the same. Or so everyone thought. "I'm just curious Legolas what exactly Orophin could be saying to me that involves _you_. You seem to be particularly intent on _not_ sharing exactly what it wa—"

Gimli cut her off with a laugh, "Aye, Las, he was most likely teasing you and the Laddie—"

Before he could finish, Arod reared, sending the dwarf over the horse's rump and onto the ground with a small cry. Aragorn shook his head, a small smile on his face as he caught the smug look on Legolas face as he leaned down to help Gimli back onto the horse behind him. They continued on their path, all silent as they rode along. After the small distraction, Aragorn had took to studying the two elves. Ireth would stare blankly at the mane of her horse, the slight tilt of Legolas head toward her allowed the elf to watch her from the corner of his eye. When Ireth would randomly tilt her head to look at him, his head shifted back, so it appeared he _hadn't_ been watching her. And of course this was all going _straight over_ the dwarf's head. Aragorn fought the smile that wanted to crawl onto his face. They didn't seem to realize that they were being watched by, not only Aragorn, but a rather amused Gandalf as well. The attention was soon taken off the two elves as small voices could be heard from up ahead.

"—you've never done a hard day's work." Came Merry's voice as the group of riders broke out of the tree line. Upon spotting the approaching riders, Merry stood, giving a slightly wobbly bow that made Ireth think they were just a tad bit tipsy. "Welcome, my lords and lady, to Isengard!"

With a haphazard wave he gestured to the large black tower, its destroyed gardens flooded with water and floating corpses of orcs and debris.

"You young rascals!" Gimli called to them, "A merry hunt you have led us on, and now we find you…" Gimli started to splutter indignantly, "…feasting, and…and _smoking._ "

Pippin leaned forward, taking the long pipe from his mouth, "We are sitting on a field of victory enjoying a few well-earned comforts."

At this Merry blew out a smoke ring, a look of pleasure on his face. Though truthfully, Ireth thought them both to be high on weed. Gimli grunted.

"The salted pork is _particularly_ good." Pippin continued. It had its desired effect as Gimli instantly brightened and asked almost eagerly, "Salted Pork?"

Gandalf shook his head at the banter, " _Hobbits._ "

This made Ireth laugh, covering her mouth with one of her hands to keep the sound muted. After a short moment, Merry sat behind Eomer on his horse and Pippin sat in front of Aragorn, now they trailed after Gandalf on Shadowfax into the knee-high murky water. Ireth had to blink as she looked at what could only be a _tree_ moving and _talking_. She spared a glance to Legolas who simply seemed to be in awe, and then back to the tree. _Ent_ , excuse her, _Ent._ Gandalf had mentioned something about them, but she was picturing something similar to a nymph from Greek mythology. Now she just wanted to face palm herself, but she quickly got over her surprise, focusing on what exactly the Ent was saying, "….stock and stone I can master, but there's a wizard to be managed here; locked in his tower."

At that, Ireth looked up at the tower, an ominous black thing it was. She tried picturing the black tower amidst the green of trees, but that seemed to only accentuate its ominous presence. Her nose involuntarily crinkled as Théoden spoke to Saruman, calling for justice to be served for the lives of Rohan's children he had taken. A shiver travelled up her spine as Saruman spoke, his voice was deep and chilling to hear, and she didn't want to hear anything of what he said, for she knew it would be nothing pleasant. She stared hard at her mare's mane, braiding her withers to calm the nerves she had.

"Ah, Ireth Carafell."

Her whole body froze at the sound of her name, a fear gripping her as she allowed her gaze to look at the off white speck of Saruman. "The elf from another world. Such strange circumstances you've arrived in Middle-Earth. I thought that maybe the Valar had brought a champion from another world; they spent so much time creating what you are now."

Ireth was aware that some were watching her in confusion, all except for Gandalf and Legolas—both of whom knew of her status from another world. She felt herself tremble under the gaze of the ex-white wizard, a feeling of being something unworthy filling her. A small anger also filled her; how dare this traitorous wizard tell all of her origins? It was something for _her_ to speak to them about, for _her_ to reveal to them.

"Yet I see a small child shaking in fear as she pretends to be an elven warrior." He gave a cruel laugh, "You are not but the human girl who died sixty-seven years ago; the Valar took pity on your pathet—"

"I've heard enough," Gimli cut him off, "Stick an arrow in him Laddie."

Ireth inhaled, tugging at the reins of her gray mare's bridle. She turned the horse around, and trotted away from the tower until the water receded and she was safely hidden on a path between trees. Alone, she allowed her breathing to become rapid as she rubbed her arms in hopes of ridding her body of its trembling. Dismounting, she went to the horses' muzzle, stroking the white strip that ran from her forelock to the soft velvet of her nose. The mare seemed to sense her rider's distress, gently rubbing her nose against the girl's cheek. It was a long time before she heard the distinctive sound of horse hooves on the dirt. Sighing, she quickly mounted, her eyes glued to the mares' mane.

The party of riders rode in silence as they returned to Edoras until Ireth broke the silence, curiosity replacing the shame she felt. She looked at Gandalf questioningly, "Sixty-seven years? What did he mean by that, Gandalf?"

"It means, you are not twenty years of age, as I'm sure you feel you are. You're soul was brought here by the Valar a little over sixty-seven years ago when you died in your world. There is no knowing why they did such a thing, all we know is that they _did_ , and created a new body for your soul to be housed in. I suspect they chose an elven body for you because they had gone to such lengths to save you." Gandalf glanced at the elleth, a frown on her face.

"It felt like seconds, not sixty-seven _years_." She spoke softly, but everyone was listening closely to her words, "One moment, there was a…a carriage going straight towards me, I remember being _hit_ but the pain was never there. It felt as if I were floating before I was placed gently on the grass in Hollin."

"The Valar work in mysterious ways, it was planned for you to come upon the Fellowship as they travelled through those hills." He slid another look towards Ireth, "Interesting that they would bring you here during the worst of times."

Pippin spoke, a curious frown on his face as he looked at Ireth's back, "Don't elves age differently than mortals?"

Legolas spoke, his voice calm, "Yes, Ireth was twenty when she…died in this otherworld; she would have been a child to most."

"Yet she appears as a fully grown elf," Eomer spoke cautiously, his puzzled gaze going from Ireth to Gandalf to Legolas.

Ireth sighed, "This is so confusing."

"Ah, yes," Gandalf nodded, "that is where things become confusing. In her old world, Ireth was human, and at twenty years of age, fully mature. The Valar created her body long ago, and it so has had the time to mature as her mind was. So essentially, Ireth _is_ the equivalent of a young elven adult."

"Well that's good to know." Gimli stated, his eyes crinkling at the grin he was giving.

Ireth let out another sigh, looking from Aragorn to Gimli, and to the Hobbits, "I'm sorry, I didn't tell you of my origins; I'd rather I have told you myself, instead of Saruman bringing it to light." She didn't know what else to say as she ducked her head in shame, "I am sorry."

"There is nothing for you to be sorry about," Merry said from behind Eomer, "you weren't ready to share something as…personal…as where you come from. Saruman knew of you and tried to take advantage of that."

Ireth smiled at Merry, a warmth chasing away any fears she had of falling out with her friends.

 **Okay, so this chapter was kind of short and kind of ...ugh... I wrote on and off a lot which is why this chapter seems to be broken up a lot and just plain awful!**

 **So FUN FACTS time!**

 **This story actually turned out a lot different than what my original (and very lost but recently found) notes on this story idea said. For starters, instead of just randomly crossing the street when a truck was coming by, Ireth was at a water festival and actually drowns. Fun right?**

 **All of her accessories had a purpose and represent some things that were on her when she died. Her necklace is obvious, so I'mma ignore it. Her circlet was actually a headband she was wearing when she died. It had leaf patterns on it.**

 **Her silver dagger actually had a bigger purpose than just being a silver dagger. So for whatever reason, when Ireth died she had a plastic knife in her pocket-don't judge me that's what my (then) fifteen year old self wrote down. So when she first pulls out her knife it was supposed to be this blunt knife that was basically useless. (Boromir compares it to a butter knife and Gimli called it a toothpick). The knife was supposed to evolve with Ireth as she gained the skills of a warrior until eventually it turned into a sword. So Agarwaen, the sword Haldir allows her to take from Lothlórien, is actually not even supposed to be in the story as by the time they leave Lothlórien the knife was supposed to be in between being a short blade and a normal one.**

 **Agarwaen was actually a part of another fan fiction that involved the reincarnation of Thranduil's wife, and Agarwaen actually being the sword that was used to kill his wife...okay so basically my memories did a mind fuck and that bit when Haldir says it's interesting that Ireth chose that sword is not supposed to be there at all-along with the sword having emotions. Completely different story that actually got trashed due to my lack of knowledge of the Mirkwood King.**

 **So, those are my interesting facts.**

 **Oh, and also, I was going to extend the story to about a few years after the ring-bearers sail to the Undying Lands. And there's also going to be a few...interesting chapter's in a new character's point of view...Of course y'all are gonna have to wait until AFTER Aragorn ascends the throne of Gondor. I feel like you guys are going to find this character irritating and maybe insane, but the main point of the character is to see Ireth in other people's point of view. Which I don't know why I'm telling you this now as we haven't even gotten to the Dimholt scene yet. (I always feel like that's where RotK picks up)**

 **But please review; I'd like to know what you guys think...of both the chapter and the A/N!**


	15. The Palantir

_**So when I went back and read what I posted I was completely horrified and I would like to apologize for posting that crap. I wen over it and added details and scenes. As a treat, I extended the chapter a little (though not by much). I suggest you re-read or skim the chapter if you have already read the chapter and if you haven't read the chapter: You are one lucky bug. Please enjoy.**_

When they arrived back at Edoras, everyone was preparing for a celebration upon winning the battle at Helm's Deep. Ireth had barely dismounted from her mare when Eowyn came into the stables like a whirlwind, pulling the poor elleth by the hand out of the stables before anyone could protest. There was a giddiness to the shield maiden that had Ireth laughing as trailed behind the girl.

Ireth had only brought one fancy thing with her from Lothlórien. A deep forest green dress that reached just passed her ankles to the floor. It had flared sleeves of a paler green that matched the under skirt that showed in the slit down the center of her dress. Eowyn had thought it lovely, smiling in wonder as she noted it made Ireth's eyes seem to have more brown in it than green.

"Thank you, Eowyn, for helping me." Ireth said, tilting her head as said girl finished braiding the front of her hair so it stayed out of her face. "You look beautiful, by the way."

And it was true. Eowyn wore her hair down in soft waves, the front strands twisted back to stay out of her face. Her dress was a pale baby blue, like that of the sky that made her eyes look like a storm. Eowyn's cheeks turned a slight pink as Ireth stood grasping her hands and gripping them tightly before they both headed to the Great Hall.

Ireth was slightly amazed at how different everyone looked once they cleaned themselves up. Eomer was actually quite handsome. As were a handful of the other men Ireth's eyes slid across. When her eyes caught on Legolas, she gave an amused smile. He wore the exact same thing as he wore on their journey, though it seemed to be of finer quality. He even wore the cloak gifted to him by the Lady Galadriel. She grinned at Eowyn as they parted ways, Eowyn taking her place on the dais by her Uncle and brother's side, and Ireth standing beside Legolas.

She thought it strange that lately she'd been more comfortable around the elf—more so than usual—and it made her wonder what had changed that would evoke such comfort with him. She tilted her head at him, noticing he was looking at her forehead curiously. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Was his easy reply, "The gem in your crown is a deep pink."

Ireth touched her circlet, eyes turning thoughtful. "I wonder what that means."

Legolas looked as if he wanted to speak more, but quickly quieted when Théoden began his toast to start the celebration.

"Tonight we remember those who gave their blood to defend this country. Hail the victorious dead!"

"Hail!"

Soon the Hall was filled with boisterous laughter, the sound of music and the soft murmur of conversation. Almost immediately, Ireth was whisked off into a dance. She hadn't had a clue on what she was doing, and it became apparent that, for an elf, Ireth was a complete klutz when it came to dancing. She tripped several times over her own feet which made her laugh uncontrollably, along with everyone else. Of course, her lack of skill didn't keep people from asking her to dance—most just took to twirling her, then turning in a circle and twirling her again. It was quite fun and distracting enough that she didn't notice a certain friend of hers watching her with a surprisingly blank expression. And _he_ was unaware that his close friend was watching him with a wide grin, his eyes travelling from the elleth to the ellon. Gimli let out a chuckle just as Eomer approached them with a slight challenging smile on his face. What caught the dwarf's attention was the large bale of ale being rolled behind him.

Ireth, thoroughly winded from her attempts at dancing, was clapping and laughing along with the crowd as she watched Pippin and Merry singing and dancing on a large table, nearly surrounded by a mass of people. She smiled when she caught sight of Gandalf and Aragorn, but it slowly melted as she caught the slight seriousness of their conversation. It was far too loud to hear what was said, but Ireth hoped that bad news was not what was being discussed.

She turned away, finding the room beginning to become overbearingly hot and made to depart to get some fresh air. She paused, looking with a raised brow at Gimli, Legolas and Eomer, who sat at a table over run with mugs, surrounded by cheering men. Judging by the amount of cups, she guessed that much was drunk and well, that they were all drunk—besides Legolas who looked rather well for drinking so much. She fought a grin as he looked at his fingers with a slight frown.

"My finger's tingle; I think it's affecting me." She let out a small laugh at the confusion on his face, which soon turned into silent laughter as Gimli made a retort about holding his liquor and then passed out. Fighting her grin, she made to leave once more, but was halted by several men and women who ushered her forward with the request that she sing a song. Ireth recognized a few from the people who traveled around her to Helm's Deep. She started to protest, not knowing any songs that would be able to satisfy the rambunctious crowd.

"Honestly, I don't know any songs appropriate for a celebration such as this!" Ireth protested, a small feeling of panic settling in, but a woman quickly shushed her.

"Sing a merry tune, dear! We care not for the song, so long as you _sing_." The woman said, placing her in front of a small crowd that began to cheer. Ireth, seeing no real way out, sighed, composing herself. She sifted through songs that she may be able to sing; one with a _merry_ tune, but she couldn't think of any songs she knew that were _merry_ yet not a _children's song_. So she got rid of the merry tune idea and thought of a song she could sing that wouldn't confuse people. The crowd waited expectantly, murmuring softly as she tried to think, but their soft murmurs made her feel like she needed to pick a song and _now._ She bit her lip, looking around for inspiration when her eyes landed on a table with food on it. Her gaze transfixed on what resembled onions—though she was sure that they weren't. It reminded her of something and it made a slow smile grow on her face.

 _I can fix that._

Ireth cleared her throat, catching several people's attention and quieting the area around her.

" _Done a lot of things that I'm not so proud of,_

 _Took a lot of turns, that turned out wrong,_

 _That's a worn out song."_

By now she caught most of the rooms' attention and now her medium sized crowd turned into more than half of the hall. She felt her cheeks turn pink but sang on, drawing in on herself as she remembered the lyrics and movie.

 _"Day by day, moment by moment,_

 _Taking my chances, trusting my heart,_

 _It wasn't too smart._

 _Lonely and lost as I could be_

 _No way, it's up to me._

 _I will survive, I will endure_

 _When the going's rough, you can be sure_

 _Ill tough it out, I won't give in!_

 _If I'm knocked down, I'll get up again;_

 _AS long as my dreams alive,_

 _I will survive._

 _Letting go of my bad habits._

 _Hanging on the hope for better times,_

 _I'll be fine._

 _Learning to sleep in the bed that I made,_

 _Laying the blanket where it belongs,_

 _I gotta be strong._

 _Teardrops no one sees but me,_

 _I won't stop; I'll always believe,_

 _I will survive, I will endure,_

 _When the goings rough, you can be sure;_

 _Ill tough it out, I won't give in!_

 _If I'm knocked down, I'll get up again!_

 _As long as my dreams alive, I will survive._

 _As long as my dreams alive…_

 _I will survive! I will endure!_

 _When the goings rough, you can be sure,_

 _Ill tough it out! I won't give in!_

 _If I'm knocked down, I'll get up again!_

 _As long as my dreams alive…_

 _I will survive!"_

Ireth felt her face flush when the hall of Meduseld roared in appreciation for her song. With a small smile and a curtsy, Ireth left the make-shift stage, receiving several claps on the back that would have sent her flying forward if she weren't walking so fast. Ireth felt hot, not only from embarrassment of singing but also because it was incredibly hot in the Hall with so many people in it and moving about. She left the hall, feeling the cool night air brush against her hot skin. Standing at the edge of the stair, she tilted her head up, staring at the stars. There were so many more stars in this world than in her old one. The sky wasn't just a black blanket with glowing white dots scattered throughout, but it held a green-blue hue to it with a mass collection of stars. There were no blank spaces between; there were just stars. It was beautiful, and overwhelming at the same time. At some point, Ireth shut her eyes, standing in the same spot until she noticed the rambunctious night grow quiet.

She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder, "Legolas! You scared me!"

"I am sorry." He had a small smile on his lips. "I did not mean to startle you."

Ireth's lips quirked at the corner's as she looked back up at the stars. "I see you are quite well for one who has recently been in a drinking game."

There was a soft chuckle, "Man's ale does not affect the elven kind as much as they would like to think. If we were to drink with Dorwinnion Wine, I would most likely be sleeping in the rooms now along with everyone else."

Ireth let out a snicker, "I see. It has become late."

"Indeed," Legolas stated, sliding a look Ireth's way, "If I may ask; where did you learn to sing like that?"

Ireth's cheeks grew warm, "When I was young, my mother used to sing to me. I started to sing along with her and I sang until…a few years after my family died."

Legolas laid a hand reassuringly on her shoulder, "You were human when your family died; a mortal. The grief of losing your family had not affected you as it does now."

Ireth tilted her head looking at him with a questioning gaze, "Are you referring to…fading?"

Legolas nodded, a little surprised she knew of it.

"Lady Galadriel spoke briefly of it to me in Lothlórien. It is…similar to dying…am I correct?"

"Yes, Elves are immortal. We can only be killed or fade when we are dealt with grief; heartbreak." Legolas' expression turned worrisome as he watched Ireth. Her head was turned away nd she was staring off into the distance. He thought she had ignored what she said until softly she whispered to herself.

"I will not fade away. I have something to continue living for." Ireth felt her cheeks redden, wondering if she meant for the family she obtained or something else entirely. When she looked at Legolas, he was watching her with a slightly surprised look that slowly melted into one of realization and more surprise.

"Are you alright, Legolas?" She asked, placing a hand on his forearm. Slowly, the look swept from his face and he turned his attention to the sky.

"Yes, I've just discovered something that I've been searching for…for a long time it seems."

Ireth looked at him questioningly, but he refused to look at her, so she let it drop and turned to watch the stars for a while longer. However, after a few moments, she felt a drowsiness flow over her, and decided it better to rest in her room. When she looked to Legolas, a frown graced his lips as he looked up to the sky, standing beside her. She then noticed that his hood was pulled over his hair. With a worried smile, she squeezed his arm and drifted back into the hall, passing Aragorn as she entered. She smiled at him, and bid good night as he took her place beside Legolas.

She'd been walking at a leisurely pace, a calm drowsiness about her as she strode to the room she'd been given for her stay. Quite suddenly, Aragorn and Legolas whipped passed her. With a frown, she took off after them, going into the room they burst into. She wasn't sure what was going on—it was all too fast for her to think clearly—Pippin lay motionless in the middle of the room, as Aragorn held a strange glass orb that seemed to have made him go limp as he fell back into Legolas. Without a second thought, she snatched the Orb away from Aragorn, prepared to toss it to the ground. However, the moment her fingers touched the flaming hot glass, she found she couldn't let go, feeling herself go rigid and standing stock still as her gaze went black.

 _She stood in a plain field, stretching far beyond what her eyes could see. It was strange—everything was washed out and seemed to be only consistent with shades of gray and pale brown. The sky to the south east was blackened by a fiery volcano where a great big eye stood resting on a tower a few leagues before the volcano. As soon as her gaze turned toward the eye, a horrifying whispering voice came coiling to her ears, her vision zooming rapidly in on the great big Eye. Fear overwhelmed her senses, and she found herself shivering violently though not from cold._

 ** _"I see you."_** _The voice said to her. **"Tell me where it is… Or you shall suffer."**_

 _"Where what is?" she asked with a stutter in her voice, not understanding what the eye was asking of her. A pressure seemed to build in her mind—a feeling similar to that of a light headache, but as soon as it came it was gone. Quite suddenly, the headache returned, leaving once more just as quickly. Ireth shivered, tearing her gaze away from the eye, looking for some way to hide, or at least escape it's view. For some reason, frustration welled in her but she realized, it was not her who was frustrated. It was the Eye._

 ** _"Where is the ring? Tell me! Or you will never see her again."_**

 _Ireth jerked looking from the eye to a glowing figure in front of her. Eyes wide, Ireth watched in horror as she recognized her Aunt before her, screaming out and writhing in agony. She was on her side, dressed in torn jeans and a shirt; she was covered in filth and grime, blood dripping from several gashed on her body. Her head moved upward until her pain stricken face was looking right at Ireth. Over and over, she repeated, "What have you done to me!? What have you done to me!?"_

 _Ireth ran to her side, trying to find her source of pain, trying to find a way to relieve her of whatever it was that was tormenting her. The woman shoved her away, turning her back to Ireth as she continued to convulse in pain. Ireth called out to the woman, her eyes going blurry with tears. She looked up to the Eye, a desperate feeling welling in her chest, "Stop this! I don't know about any ring! Honest!"_

 _There was another pang of pressure in her head, but it too was a small mere headache, and that same frustration welled in her mind before it drew back. Then something happened that had Ireth stilling. An image of a car wreck appeared, a small child laying on her stomach, beside the severely damaged vehicle. Apparitions of what appeared to be her family hovered around her broken ten year old self. At first what they spoke of was unintelligible, but then it became loud and overbearing. A noise that wouldn't leave her head, that made the grief grow strong in her heart. **"It's all your fault. It's all your fault. It's all your fault. Itsallyourfaullt. Itsallyourfault. Itsallyourfault."**_

 _Ireth's lip trembled as tears ran down her face. It was all her fault. It was all her fault. Her parents' death. Her brother's death. Her Aunts unhappiness. It was all her fault. She had begged her mother to meet her Aunt—if she hadn't been so insistent, if she hadn't been so **selfish** ; her parents would still be alive, her aunt would have been happy, her brother would have gotten the life he deserved. **It was all her fault.**_

 _A soft lyrical voice rang out. One that was familiar, "Do not let yourself falter, young one. Many things can happen in one's life, but they are no one's blame."_

 _Another voice, one she knew well, sounded after that, "Be strong, Lellig. None of this was your fault. You are not to blame for any of this."_

 _For a moment, just behind the gray ghosts of her dead family, Ireth thought she saw the white glowing figure of the Lady Galadriel, a fond smile on her face, and just behind her shoulder, the faint but still noticeable figure of Haldir. Ireth looked to the family she once had. They were gray and sickly looking. Red tears travelled down their cheeks and there was a malice that seemed to peak out of their black eyes. She shook her head. No. This wasn't right. This was wrong. Her family couldn't be here. She was in another world. Their spirits couldn't be here. The accident wasn't her fault. She knew it wasn't. It couldn't have been. It was something…that just happened. This wasn't real. She took a deep breath and tried to focus. As painful as it was, she stood, turning away from the dead and started to walk away from them. She went to the glowing light of Lady Galadriel and Haldir, reaching out towards the latter, when whispering began to fill her ears. Ireth ignored the voice, but faltered to a stop when searing anger overwhelmed her. But it wasn't her own. She knew it was the Eye._

 ** _"Who are you?"_**

 _"I am no one." She stated shakily, tears in her eyes. Haldirs' iridescent form held a hand out toward her. Ireth made to grab it but then quite suddenly, she felt a great push in her head, one that made her gasp and crumple to her knees with exhaustion. When she looked up, Haldir and Lady Galadriel no longer glowed in front of her. Fear swelled in her._

 ** _"Who are you?"_**

 _Ireth turned to the great eye, anger flaring in her eyes as she realized this eye was behind whatever this was, because there was no way this eye could possibly know of her past, possibly know of her inner turmoil. With her own mental shove, Ireth shouted to the great eye, "I am no one to you! Get out of my head!"_

With a sudden jolt she dropped the orb, her knees buckling as she collapsed, energy leaving her body. She was barely aware of the arms that wrapped around her, or the chest that pillowed her head as she fell. Vaguely, she made out the worried expression of Legolas, then Gandalf came into view.

"What did you see?" Gandalf demanded.

"A great eye," She whispered. "It…asked me…about…a ring."

She felt her eyes, wet from tears, begin to drift close; exhaustion beginning to overtake her consciousness. "Stay awake, Ireth! Stay awake. What did you tell him, Ireth? Tell me!"

With effort, she tried to keep her eyes open. "…I…know nothing…of a ring…I…told it…so….Gandalf…why am…I so…tired?"

There was a long silence. Ireth felt herself start to lull into a sleep. It was quite strange though. She felt herself slip into a semi-conscious state, but she was still aware. She felt herself being lifted, heard words being murmured, though none registered in her mind. It was a soft voice saying these words; one she's heard before, but her mind too muddled to recognize. She heard Gandalf's voice again.

"Her circlet protected her from the pain Sauron tried to do upon her as he did Pippin. Though it seems the powers behind the circlet have drained her of energy."

"Let her rest, Gandalf." That was Aragorn. "She does not know enough to jeopardize giving away any advantage we have."

She felt herself being carried away, only the slight movement of her dress giving away the person's movement. There was still that murmuring she didn't understand, that soft voice she knew but couldn't place. Ireth felt herself being shifted, the creaking of a door as it opened. The sound of bedsheets being moved caught her ears, just before she felt herself being lowered onto a soft bed, the sheets gently placed over her.

"Rest well, Ireth."

Ireth awakened with a start, sitting up in the bad so fast the room span. She clutched her head, shutting her eyes until she no longer felt the need to vomit. Looking around with a worried frown, she realized she was in the room Eowyn said she would stay in. There was no one else in the room with her. When she threw the covers off, Ireth found herself still dressed in last nights' gown.

She remembered grabbing an orb from Aragorn, then feeling afraid…grief, such intense grief…and then anger. A large flaming eye popped into her head, frightening her. She shook her head, and with many questions in her head, started to change.

Ireth pulled on a clean tunic, her leggings and boots, then threw on her vest, tightening her belt around her waist as she exited her room. When she tread down the hall, she heard the remnants of a conversation in the great hall. Ireth walked in, drawing a few wary gazes as Gandalf finished speaking.

"I ride for Minas Tirith. And I won't be going alone."

Ireth blinked in surprise when Legolas and Aragorn appeared at her sides and guided her gently to a seat on the table. Aragorn spoke before she could ask what was wrong, "What do you remember from last night?"

A frown pulled at Ireth's lips. "I don't remember much. I remember grabbing the orb from you, then my vision went black….and I remember being scared…and feeling an intense grief, but then I felt angry…and then I was exhausted." Ireth spoke slowly, trying to work out everything she was trying to remember. In a flash, the eye returned to her mind's eye but it was gone quickly replaced with the warm glow that surrounded Lady Galadriel. "There was a big eye of fire…and Lady Galadriel…"

She came to a blank after that, and shrugged her shoulders with frustration growing in her. Legolas rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and she—without even realizing it—leaned into the comforting touch. If it weren't for the serious matter at hand, Aragorn would have grinned, but instead he sent a glance to Gimli who also noticed the small but progressive action.

"Will Ireth be going with you and Pippin, Gandalf?" Legolas voiced, staring at the white wizard. Ireth's head snapped up at Legolas question and she turned her attention from Pippin to Gandalf with confusion in her eyes.

"No. She knew nothing of the ring. If anything, Sauron feels threatened by her." Gandalf continued at the confused gazes of his colleagues. "Because her circlet has protective qualities, Sauron could not torture her as he did Pippin. And if Lady Galadriel was present as Ireth claims, he may think her related to the Lady of Light."

Ireth blinked in surprise, but her mind only focused on one thing. "Who is Sauron?"

 **I have a very interesting story idea that I think y'all might like.**

 **It is called** ** _An Immortal Werewolf In Middle-Earth_** **and obviously it's about a werewolf…in middle-earth. (Yes I did get the inspiration for the title from An American Werewolf In London, No it's not that kind of werewolf.) So my werewolf is female (of course) and she is a werewolf of my own creation. So she isn't a traditional werewolf. A lot of my werewolf traits are from the Brilliant Patricia Briggs who writes the Mercy Thompson and Alpha and Omega Series. (I highly recommend those books for my werewolf junkies. It is an ADULT book (though mainly cause of violence not sex though there are a couple sex scenes but its not like porno or anything and from what I remember the first sex scene ever is in like the fourth book. (for Mercy Thompson not Alpha and Omega…that one is different…I still recommend it. Great reads and pure magic! Literally! She has everything in there from a badass Scooby-doo lovin vampire to creepy fae people!))) Okay that got carried away. So I've combined Patricia Briggs werewolf characteristics with some of MTV's Teen Wolf (awesome show guys. First season is kinda eh but after that it just explodes in your face) So yes there are traditional qualities and not so traditional qualities mixed with my own little spin on things. And you don't need to read any of these books or watch the show to truly understand my werewolf logic—things will be explained. Also I'm not planning (key word: PLANNING) on putting any romance in it, but you know romances are so fun to write (it's completely ridiculous, especially when I'm over here trying to write a serious book and "Oh look! They kiss!" It just happens and it makes me mad.) I do plan on making this story a LLOOONNGGG one. It starts 15 years before the Hobbit and ends sometime after the end of the third age (I haven't gotten that far yet) There is definently going to be a lot of interaction with the elves (which is going to kill me cause I really need to get a hold of a LotR series set along with the Hobbit and Silmarillion. For reals, I at least need a copy right?) Anywho, enough of me freaking out…where was I? Oh yes. So my werewolf, for many reasons is going to be working more behind the scenes then on the front lines, at least until the Hobbit half is over. So I guess it will be kind of a new perspective as the character doesn't have any real interaction with the main characters. It's going to be great. Or at least I hope it will. I'm not going to post any chapters though until I get a great deal into the story and at least come close to finishing Strength Is Needed.**

 **I just wanted to give y'all a heads up about it, so let me know if y'all are interested or not, kay?**


	16. The Beacons Are Lit!

**Okay guys, I don't know if y'all get notifications for chapter updates but I did update the last chapter, cause let's be honest, IT SUCKED MAJOR HIPPOGRIF. It's a bit longer and I added some scenes. Uhm, this chapter is kinda filler-ish, so I mean you could skip it, but there's a tad bit of fluff in it. Still I think it best you read it, even if I don't particularly like the chapter myself. ...yea...enjoy.**

Legolas and Aragorn looked at each other contemplatively. A small frown was on Ireth's face as she tried to comprehend the impact this quest would bring should they fail.

"Are you alright, Ireth?" Legolas asked after a moment.

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Ireth stated. "But if this _ring_ is brought to this Sauron…it would be the end of the world as we know it?"

Legolas nodded, amusement filling his face at Ireth's put out look. "And this is the same ring that is around Frodo's neck and drove Boromir mad?"

Legolas nodded again. "And this same ring is with Frodo and Sam, on its way to Mordor, where it can possibly fall into the wrong hands."

"Yes," Legolas said, a little worried at the way she put that.

"And none of you thought to tell me this after I left Lothlórien and we went on a merry chase through Rohan?" Ireth asked, looking from Legolas, to Aragorn and then to Gimli, who looked quite amused at her attempts to understand the situation she was in.

A strange look passed through Legolas eyes as he spoke, "Would you have gone back if we did?"

Ireth snorted, very unladylike at that, and gave Legolas a look, "Of course not, I would have worried more but I would have joined you all the same."

If Ireth weren't so busy with being put out, she might have noted the pleased yet disappointed look that crossed Legolas face. Aragorn and Gimli did not miss it. Ireth quickly changed the subject, looking at a passing Eowyn.

"Uhm, I'll talk to you guys later." She quickly left them behind, catching up to the shield maiden. Ireth walked silently beside her, trying to sort out through her thoughts, when Eowyn spoke up.

"Did you truly not know of the evil in this land?"

Ireth grimaced, but nodded. "It is true." She quickly looked around and took Eowyn's hand, leading her to a more secluded place. "Actually, I want to tell you this, because I see you as my friend, but I know once I tell you this, you might not see me in the same light."

Eowyn listened silently as Ireth told her the truth of her origins. It made panic grow within Ireth's chest when Eowyn's frown deepened as she continued. "…so Haldir took me under his wing, he is the elf who I was riding with on our way back here…"

Eowyn simply stared at her for a moment, confliction in her eyes. "This makes sense, but it also confuses me. Elves are often more controlling of their emotions, as I've noticed with the other elf…when he is not with you…but you were rather open when you spoke to me at first. I thought it was perhaps you were young, but I see that you are far older than I expected you were…"

Ireth smiled, "I'm older than I thought I was as well. It seemed as if seconds had passed by when in reality it had been more than sixty years! I'm about eighty-seven when this whole time I thought I was twenty."

Eowyn nodded, "I see."

"I hope that we can still remain friends?" Ireth smiled shyly, worry knitting her brow.

Eowyn smiled, "of course we will remain friends. Why on middle-earth would you think not?"

Ireth felt herself blush, "I know that some people don't really take the whole other world thing quite well."

Eowyn and Ireth talked for a long time, mostly Ireth about what she remembered from her old world. It was hard explaining some things, like cars and planes, but she managed and it wasn't long before she was telling Eowyn about movies and music. She spoke of many different things, even the different cultures that she knew of. She found that there were several cultures that were nearly similar to that of Rohan, like the Celtic knots from Ireland, and the similar knots on the Hall of Meduseld and a lot of the shields and swords.

Eowyn was impressed with how advanced Ireth's world seemed to be, though she found it odd that Ireth would frown at things that truly should be a happy accomplishment. When Éowyn would suggest so, Ireth would agree but then explain what would make her frown. Soon, Eowyn saw why she had been given the shape of an elf when she was taken here. Like Ireth's immortal kin, she cared deeply for the nature around her, sometimes even tears came to Ireth's eyes as she described how these 'scientists' have made predictions that their world won't last for much longer.

For their evening meal, Ireth and Eowyn talked of less darker topics. At Eowyn's request, Ireth told her of what she could about the women and men of her world. She felt herself blush when Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Eomer, sat at the table and listened in. She was speaking about clothing when Eomer interrupted.

"So, the women of you world hardly wear any clothes?"

Ireth hid a smile, "Well not exactly. They can wear whatever they like. People used to be judged harshly for some of the things they would wear, but now it is starting to become accepted that people should be able to wear what they choose and not be labeled for it."

Everyone seemed to silently think about that and then Gimli asked a rather strange question. "What are the courting customs of your world?"

Everyone blinked at him, shocked.

"Just out of curiosity."

"Well…" Ireth frowned slightly, blushing. "I don't really know. I've never been courted in my old world. But it's called 'dating' there."

Eomer looked a little surprise, "You've never been courted?"

Ireth shook her head, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the shocked look everyone was giving her. "No, I had been very…quiet when I lived in that world…I'm not really pretty, either, if I think about it."

" _What?"_ That seemed to be the most said word. Ireth felt her face turn red.

"Ireth, you are very pretty," Eowyn said surprised filling her facial expression.

"My appearance _has_ changed from then and now." Ireth felt the need to explain herself, "My eyes used to be brown, just brown, no green in them. And my hair was this long and a dark brown." She gestured to just below her shoulders. "I think I might have been slightly shorter too, but I cannot tell. I had never really cared for my looks, so I guess people there would describe me as average looking." She let out an awkward laugh, "Uhm…any other questions?"

Gimli asked another question that was quite strange, "Did you fancy anyone?"

Ireth felt her face turn red once more, "Not particularly, why do you ask?"

"Oh no reason, lassie." Gimli grinned, smoking on his pipe happily.

"What are the weapons there like?" Eomer asked.

"Dangerous and destructive," was all she said, frowning at some unspoken thought.

"What are the Kings like?" Legolas asked almost quietly.

Ireth made a funny face. "Well…we don't exactly have Kings any longer. The only place I can think of that still has a monarch is England, and I don't think they actually… _rule_ the country anymore."

Everyone was looking at Ireth with incredulous looks. Eowyn spoke up first, "Who leads the people? Who protects them, and gathers the armies?"

Ireth then explained as best as she could about Democracy and the Military. To which they pointed out was very similar to being a king but then Ireth mentioned if the people did not like the way he ran things they could vote him off the chair and pick someone else. Then the topic changed more towards music and Ireth then began to explain all the different types of music to the best of her ability.

"So the songs you've been singing sound completely different with the music?" Legolas asked surprised.

"Oh yes, and the original sound of the songs are so much better as well." Ireth smiled, thinking of guitar riffs and really high pitched voices carrying a beautiful note. It was late into the night that Ireht continued to explain these things to them, until she noticed that Eowyn and Eomer looked quite exhausted. She gave an apologetic smile to the two, "I'm sorry, I've kept you awake."

"No it's quite alright. We enjoyed hearing of your world," Eowyn smiled, bidding them goodnight. Aragorn dismissed himself, squeezing Ireth's shoulder and retreating to the chamber he shared with Gimli and Legolas. The former, however was already asleep on the table, his snores muffled by the table and his beard. Ireth let out a small laugh, amusement shining in her eyes.

"Do you miss it?"

Ireth blinked at Legolas, tilting her head at his question. She thought about it for a long moment. There were many things she missed about her home. There were also things she didn't miss. She wouldn't ever miss the cars, the trucks, the eighteen wheelers. She wouldn't miss all the fast food restaurants. She wouldn't miss how loud everything was. She did miss the music; she missed plumbing as well, but those were things she could live without. She glanced at Legolas, realizing she hadn't answered him yet.

"There are some things I miss, but I like it here." She smiled, "You can see the stars here, and you can hear the sounds of nature."

"Are the stars hidden from your sights there?"

She nodded, "There are so many lights that the night sky appears as a dark abyss with ever so few stars glistening in the distance. Even the moon seems so far away."

Legolas was quiet as he studied his female companion closely. She had a soft smile on her face, her green-brown eyes gazing off toward the dwarf as he let out a snort. Her hair was loose from any braids and hung in soft waves around her shoulders. He thought back to what she'd said earlier. _I'm not really pretty._ He thought she was more than pretty, as he studied her face. She had large eyes, framed with dark brown lashes, which tended to make her eyes more green than brown on most occasions. Her cheeks were high but subtle, gently sloping into a pointed chin. Her lips, though small, were not thin and a soft berry color.

"Legolas?"

He snapped his gaze up to Ireth's eyes, a concerned look in them. Legolas froze on the spot when she leaned forward, placing a slightly callused hand on his forehead. An amused smile broke out on his face. "What are you doing?"

She let her hand fall, her cheeks gaining color. "I thought that maybe you weren't feeling well. You were staring into space for quite a while."

Legolas, full on smiling now, shook his head, "No, I was simply thinking."

"Oh." Ireth laughed slightly, sitting back on the bench, cheeks red.

It had been a little over four days since Gandalf and Pippin left, leaving Aragorn restless. On most days he sat outside, watching the distant mountains. It worried Ireth, but she didn't know what exactly it was that made him restless. Eowyn tended to bring him food every now and then, usually coming back with a small blush on her cheeks that made Ireth wonder if she had feelings for the man.

Ireth wasn't sure how to approach the topic of the shield-maidens affections, so she didn't say anything and observed. On several occasions she saw that Eowyn truly did have feelings for him, but Aragorn seemed to be oblivious to this, continuing about his day staring off into the mountain side. She wondered if he also had feelings for the girl, but she got a rather distinct feeling that it wasn't the case every time she thought it.

Ireth stood beside Legolas in the great hall absently fiddling with the ends of his hair. He sat at the table, not seeming to mind or even notice. Ireth didn't seem to notice either, staring off at a fixed point, weaving the hair into a braid and then softly unweaving it before gently running her fingers through it. His hair was soft on her fingers, like silk. She was just starting to re-braid the locks in her fingers when the doors burst open and Aragorn ran through the doors, shouting "The Beacons Are Lit!"

He stopped short, taking in a deep breath, "Gondor calls for aid!"

Ireth stared at him with wide eyes, a hand on her chest. He had scared her.

"And Rohan will answer!" Theoden King replied, drawing Ireth's attention.

 **Okay So if the chapter looks a bit weird, I apologize. Mainly cause I don't know what happened. And just so you know, I have a really hard time writing this story. My other OC's are completely different from Ireth, and I think when I put up a new story, and y'all decide to read it, you will see the differences. So I just want y'all to keep that in mind when my period between updates becomes really long. I probably don't know how to write, or I'm stuck on how people should react to certain things. Like that bit up there, I'm pretty sure Eowyn would have completely freaked out and probably keep her distance for a while. but yes...that's what happened..**

 **Please Review Guys! THAT'S WHAT MAKES ME CONTINUE WRITING. MOTIVATION! WOO!**

 **And you know I am open to critical reviews (is that what it's called?) As long as you aren't rude I will most likely respond, and if you have questions as well I will answer those as well.**

 **You know what just for fun, if you have any complaints, let me know. I want to see what people like and don't like about my story. If I write another one (which I am) I'll use them to help make a more believable story. Maybe.**


	17. The Dimholt Road

**The beginning is kind of "meh" but it gets better...at least I think so. Please Enjoy!**

Three days passed and Ireth found herself walking around a battle encampment at the base of a mountain. On the day Aragorn announced the beacons lit, Eomer was sent to gather as much men as possible to fight. Edoras had been swarming with people going in and out, horses being prepared and armor gathered as well. They'd just reached the mountain early last night, finding that men were already there, awaiting orders and preparing fires. Ireth saw the familiar face of Arod and smiled. Arod seemed happy to see her as she brought Grey, the mare she'd been given to ride, to stay with the horse. Briefly the horses' attention went to the mare, snuffling noses with her, before Arod's attention turned to Ireth. She was beginning to tie Grey to the tree branches, when a funny feeling had her looking around with a small frown on her face. However, her gaze only found several men around a campfire and busy tying their own horses. Ireth could have sworn she felt the gaze of someone on her. With a small tilt of her head, she stroked Grey's muzzle tenderly and turned around to find Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli.

Only instead, she found two rather tall hooded figures staring in her direction, before one shook their head and both continued walking. Curious, Ireth stepped forward to follow, but the two figures had disappeared. She only wondered for a moment if she should be worried about the two figures when she heard Gimli loudly call for Aragorn. Following the sound of his voice, she quickly found the two, along with Legolas who was frowning quietly to himself.

"Legolas?" Ireth asked gently, a look of worry on her face. His attention went to her, a smile briefly on his lips before he motioned for her to follow. She did so, confusion swarming her slightly, as it was in another direction than that of Gimli and Aragorn. She paused when she saw, she was right where she started. Back to the tree where she tied up Grey with Arod. Legolas was searching in the saddlebags by Arod when that funny feeling came back and had Ireth looking around with another worried frown on her face. She briefly caught the movement of someone in the shadows, but didn't have time to dwell on if it had been a trick of the eye or she _actually_ saw something or someone move as Legolas turned to her with Lembas in his hands.

Ireth smiled, taking the offered piece that Legolas held out towards her. "Thank you."

He gave another brief smile, "Your welcome."

"What is bothering you?" Ireth asked, finding something off with the elf. He blinked at her, as if he hadn't expected her to ask such a thing, and a curious look briefly made an appearance on his face.

"It is nothing," Legolas spoke softly, placing a hand on her shoulder. She didn't look the least bit convinced which actually made the elven prince chuckle softly. Then they both heard a strange sound, one similar to that of someone choking, but when they tried to find the source of the noise, they heard nothing but the murmurs of men and the snuffling of horses.

Ireth and Legolas made their way back to Gimli, who told them Aragorn had retired for the night. The three remained in a compatible silence, with Gimli smoking on his pipe, Ireth nibbling on her piece of Lembas and Legolas staring off into the distance. It wasn't until it started to grow dark that Legolas suddenly stiffened, drawing Ireth's and Gimli's attention.

"He plans on taking the Dimholt Road."

"Who?" Ireth said, confusion on her face as Gimli says, "Right now?"

Legolas stood, not answering either as his shoulders tensed even more, though Ireth wasn't sure if it was because of this revelation or something else entirely. So when he began to walk off at a rather quick pace, she stood and followed swiftly behind him, all the way to Arod and Grey. He quickly untied Arod and stopped short, placing a hand on her shoulder again.

"Ireth, please stay with Lady Eowyn, return to Edoras with her."

Ireth glowered at him, "No."

"Please, I do not wish for you to see what may lie in those mountains."

Ireth raised a brow, "What could be worse than seeing orcs and Uruk-hai?"

Legolas remained quiet, looking at her eyes, then began to walk towards the direction of a road, seeming to be carved from the mountain. With a snort, she began to untie Grey and followed, hearing Legolas speak of the stubborn-ness of dwarves.

Quickly walking up, she gave Legolas a look as Gimli gave his retort, "Face it, we are going with you, Laddie."

"Whether you want us to or not." She quipped bubbly.

"Well, Estel, I don't remember an elleth joining the Fellowship, do you brother?" A voice asked.

Ireth jumped, both because the voice was right beside her and because of the rather loud and uncharacteristic groan that Legolas let out. Looking to her left, Ireth found two identical looking elves dressed in silver armor with grey cloaks on their shoulders. She would have found them intimidating if it weren't for the sly smirks they were giving each other. Then they looked at her and she found them both to be quite intimidating.

"Elladan, Elrohir, please do not frighten her like that." Legolas said, as Aragorn let out a sigh.

Ireth made an indignant noise as she turned to him, "I was not _frightened._ "

"Oh?" One of the elves said, arching a brow at her. "If you were not frightened then what was that facial expression you made?"

Ireth huffed, feeling her face redden slightly, "I _may_ have been _slightly_ intimidated."

This elicited a laugh out of the dwarf, "Aye lassie, you truly are a strange elf."

Ireth shifted uncomfortably with all the attention on her. She saw the two knew elves were looking between her and Legolas, then looked to Aragorn, whom she frowned, when they addressed him as Estel.

"So no one is going to introduce us?" One said, though she wasn't sure if it was Elladan or Elrohir.

Legolas sighed, as if he were dreading something, and gestured towards Ireth, "This is Ireth of Lothlórien. Ireth, this is Elladan and Elrohir, sons of Lord Elrond from Rivendell."

"And Estel's older brothers." Elladan piped up. But Elrohir was looking at her with a small frown.

"Of Lothlórien? I don't remember hearing of a brown-haired elleth that lived there."

Aragorn mounted Brego, "That is a story for a later date, maybe when we are not in the middle of a war?"

Ireth, agreeing, quickly mounted, and had Grey begin to follow after the brown horse. For a short while, no one spoke as they left the encampment, leaving people behind questioning after Aragorn. It remained quiet until the road they travelled upon opened up, and the horses could ride side by side. Arod, despite Legolas' handling, shoved his way to walk just beside Grey, his head, occasionally bobbing into my leg. It had made Ireth laugh and brought slight amusement to the rest of the company.

"So, Lady Ireth," Elladan said, trotting up beside her on the left. She only knew it was him though because their horses are so easy to tell apart. One a dappled grey the other a blood bay. "How long have you been travelling with Estel and Legolas?"

She heard the dwarf give a 'harumph" but nothing else was said. Ireth glanced at Elladan, wondering if she should lie or just be out with it. She decided on the latter. "Since I met them in Hollin."

"Hollin? What was an elleth from Lothlórien doing in Hollin?" He asked, more puzzlement then suspicion in his voice.

"Hmmm…" Ireth made a humming noise, a small frown on her face as she thought. According to Gandalf that was where her body was 'grown' but she didn't know if she should say that's where she was 'born' or that's where she 'woke up'. "I woke up there."

"Elladan, this is questioning best left for when Gandalf is here." Aragorn sighed, shaking his head slightly. Nonetheless, the two elves let the subject drop and moved on to more seat squirming questions.

"So, Legolas," This was Elrohir, but Ireth had to look around in her seat because the way he said that was slightly frightening as he drew out the 'o' in so. There was a frightening smug look on his face and as Ireth turned so she could look at Legolas, she saw that he had gone as stiff as a board and was slightly paler than normal. Though Ireth couldn't tell if that was the moon's doing or lack of blood in his face. "Last I heard, you were not very interested in any maidens."

Ireth turned around on her mount, a frown pulling at her lips. She thoughtfully looked ahead, her head unconsciously tilting. Again, she thought, with the Legolas and some maiden. Honestly, Ireth has never really seen him with any women at all, save for Eowyn but that was when she was either talking to her Aragorn or Gimli. Now confused, and though she didn't want to admit it, incredibly jealous, she tried thinking back to all the occasions that it has been mentioned of Legolas having an interest in a maiden. That only confused her more.

There was a chuckle that broke her out of her thoughts, and she turned her attention to Elrohir, who was watching her with amusement, "Has anyone told you that you have an expressive face."

Ireth blinked at him, "No, why?"

This made everyone laugh slightly, but any humor was quickly blown away as the sun began to rise and the terrain became more visible. Ireth's question went unanswered which truly she didn't need answered. Back when she'd been in school, the counselor's had always been calling her into their offices on accounts that people 'observed her constantly sad face' to which she would say that's just how her face looked. People avoided her because she never seemed approachable, or she was always sad and never seemed to be happy. She had always been expressive with her face, so she wasn't really surprised someone had commented on it, the 'why' tended to just be a reflex question of the mind.

Her attention was drawn to Gimli and Legolas as Gimli spoke, "What kind of army would linger in such a place?"

"One that is cursed." Legolas answered, "Long ago the men of the mountain swore an oath to the last king of Gondor, to come to his aid, to fight." Ireth listened raptly as Legolas told of the Men of the Mountain. "But when he time came, when Gondor's need was dire, they fled, vanishing into the darkness of the mountain. And so Isildur cursed them, never to rest until they had fulfilled their pledge. Who shall call them from the gray twilight, the forgotten people?"

A shiver travelled up her spine as one distinct word popped into her head. Ghosts.

Soon they came upon a small road, leading into a stone wall with an opening in it. There were strange symbols drawn about what Ireth could only assume was a doorway. Despite being able to see where they stopped, Ireth was slightly surprised when they started to dismount and lead the horses closer to the door. Personally, she thought this a bad idea as if they were dealing with ghosts, the animals would not be over joyous to be around them. Truthfully, Ireth wasn't too keen on being around them either but she was _so not going_ _let herself be left behind._ She felt chills rolling up and down her back and felt the blood rush from her face. She also didn't want to go underground again. Ireth made the wise decision of letting Grey roam free, though she didn't really go anywhere as Grey had the habit of following her around for some reason if she weren't tied up.

Legolas, standing next to Ireth, was looking up at the door way, then he spoke, "It reads, the way is shut. It was made by those who are dead." Ireth stiffened slightly, every horror movie she'd ever seen popping into her head as she looked at Legolas. He was doing the one thing you should never do. "And the dead shall keep it. The way—"

"Legolas," Ireth said, stiffly, drawing almost everyone's attention. They were all slightly surprised to see an almost panicked look on her very pale, nearly colorless, face. "Please stop talking."

This made the two other elves in the company snort in laughter slightly and drawing a slight chuckle from the dwarf. Then a gust of wind blew out from the door, effectively shutting everyone up and scared the horses. To Ireth, the gust sounded like a breathy moan, and she tried not to think about it as she watched Grey's white-gray tail disappear around the bend. She turned back to the door, fear slithering in and out of her.

"I do not fear death!" Aragorn stated before marching into the doorway and disappearing. Ireth sighed, shaking her head.

With a large inhale, she surprised everyone when she slapped her hands on her cheeks and gave a curt nod, already marching after Aragorn before she could lose her nerve and freeze in place.

Flanking Legolas on each side, the two Rivendell elves snickered. "We see now, why you are so interested in her. She's quite amusing."

Legolas scowled, quickly following after Ireth. He vaguely heard Gimli mention something about elves going underground and never hearing the end of it.

 **please Review!**

 _ **See what happens when you review? I get giddy with excitement and get in a writing mood and then post chapters quickly. Guys, critical reviews are cool too. If I had the sparkles I would throw them at you as forms of encouragement so you tear apart this story. In all honesty, I don't think my writing is very well thought out at all ( well in the beginning I thought out a lot, but now I'm just sorta writing as the events go. Tee-hees) So please, I accept criticism where it is due. So please, someone, tear apart my story!**_

 _ **Wow, this must be new for you guys. Someone asking you to turn on the sass and run away with it. (whhuutt!)**_

 _ **Also…I said 'the sparkles'…I meant glitter. Glitter was the word I was looking for.**_


	18. The Way Is Shut

**here you go my lovelies! Keep the reviews coming! I feel so motivated! :'D**

Ireth stiffly walked behind Legolas—somehow he ended up in front of her with Gimli behind her and Elladan and Elrohir standing up front with Aragorn. Her hands were shaking horribly and she was vaguely aware that she may have been gripping tightly onto a blonde elf's sleeve as she walked on something that continuously crunched under each step—even if they were elves and had steps so light they could walk on top of snow—to which horribly freaked Ireth out because something incredibly _old and fragile_ is the only thing she could possibly think of that was more fragile than snow. She was also freaking out about the green glow she occasionally saw from the corner of her eye and the occasional shape of a rotting horse walking beside them. Oh yes, Ireth has begun to see she has stepped into a horror movie and is now mentally giving herself a pep-talk about her sudden death soon approaching.

There were whispers that travelled to Ireth's ears, undecipherable, so therefore, inadvertently even more creepy. Through the whispers, she barely could decipher the fact that Legolas said something, though whether it was directed at her or not, she didn't know. She wasn't going to risk the chance of maybe seeing something she didn't want to, so she stared intently at Legolas' shoulder, only daring to look away when they entered into a large chamber. Swallowing thickly, Ireth allowed herself to release the death grip she had on Legolas' sleeve, though now she was pretty much flush up against his back, breathing deeply so she wouldn't break down crying.

It made her wonder exactly _why_ she felt like crying. They were ghosts, she's never truly feared them before but now she felt an anxiety and strange mixture of grief and fear. The fear part doubled when a gruesome voice spoke out. "Who enters my domain?"

Ireth peeked out from behind Legolas, and unconsciously made a small squeaking noise when she caught sight of a dead-looking ghost king. Aragorn spoke, giving Ireth enough cover to swallow thickly and lean back to _not see_ the dead king.

"One who will have your allegiance."

"The dead do not suffer the living to pass."

Ireth had to give Aragorn props for being fearless. "You _will_ suffer me!"

If Ireth had been some kind of animal, her hackles would have raised at the laugh that reverberated through the cavernous room. Her eyes went wide when a ghostly city appeared and they were suddenly surrounded by dead soldiers and horses.

"The way is shut. It was made by those who are dead." The king said, practically repeating Legolas, but in such a way that Ireth was sure her heart couldn't take another minute of being in this place. "And the dead keep it. The way I shut. Now you must die."

As the king steps forward, Legolas makes to shoot him, but Ireth knew that was foolish, he's a _ghost_ —ghosts go through things. She grabbed his arm, just before he knocked his arrow. He looked down at her with slight irritation in his eyes, but Ireth just shook her head, whispering her reasons, "It will just go through him. Save your arrows."

The irritation ebbed slightly, understanding seeping in to replace it. His arrow returned to his quiver, he squeezed her hand gently, his eyes staring at the king and Aragorn.

"I summon you to fulfil your oaths."

"None but the King of Gondor may command me!"

Aragorn held up an impressive sword, Ireth figured that meant he was the King of Gondor. It seemed plausible, to her anyway. It would have been a death sentence to simply walk where one should not unless a higher authority was there to save their butts. It seemed Aragorn was that higher authority. Ireth broke from her thoughts as she inhaled deeply, seeing the king begin to swing his sword at Aragorn. Everyone visibly stiffened, only seeming to relax when Aragorn's sword parried the dead king's ghost sword. It seemed to surprise the dead king when he growled out, "That bind was broken!"

Aragorn, quite calmly, said, "It has been remade."

He shoves back the ghost king and begins to address the gathered ghost army. "Fight for us, and regain your honor. What say you?"

He walks away from the group, looking at the dead, and Ireth felt her grip on Legolas arm tighten considerably as her mind screamed bad idea.

"What say you?"

Gimli's voice was loud and made Ireth slowly turn her head to him an incredulous look on her face as he finished speaking. "You waste your time, Aragorn. They had no honor in life, they have none now in death."

Twice now, it has been twice now that Gimli has stated something that could antagonize people into killing them, not to mention them being greatly out numbered.

"I am Isildur's heir. Fight for me, and I will hold your oaths fulfilled! What say you!"

There was silence and then the ghosts began to fade away. Ireth's heart was beating far too fast for her to relax at this and then the ghost king laughs again, sending shivers up and down her back and arms. Aragorn tried once more.

"You have my word! Fight, and I will release you from this living death! What say you?"

Gimli shouted out, "Stand, you traitors!"

Ireth's heart sank slightly at Gimli's words. Then the floor began to shake and much to Ireth's horror a wave of thousands upon thousands of skulls rushed towards them.

"Out!" Aragorn yelled. Ireth turned to run, right behind Gimli and Legolas. The skulls easily caught up to them though, and Ireth found herself lagging behind by a foot. Apparently that was too slow for Aragorn.

"Legolas!" Said elf turned, eyes landing on Ireth's frightened face, and paused long enough so that Ireth caught up and then scooped her up. She let out a squeak, gripping tightly onto him and shutting her eyes, a sense of doom overwhelming her. She heard Aragorn shout, "Run!"

And then sunlight broke out behind her eye lids and slowly, she opened one eye at a time, her gaze catching on three large black ships, trails of smoke rising from the villages on the banks of the river. From the corner of her eye, she saw Aragorn sink to his knees. And then there was a sound behind them.

Legolas turned, around, still carrying Ireth, to see the ghosts gathered behind them. Looking to Aragorn, the ghost king said grimly, "We fight."

There was a cough and Legolas looked down to see Ireth, still pale, looking somewhat embarrassed. "You can put me down now."

"I think that an unwise decision," Gimli butted in, true concern on the dwarf's face. "You look like you can barely stand."

Ireth made an indignant noise, "I can stand! And walk!"

Aragorn and one of the twins looked slightly worried as they looked at her, taking a step forward, "Ireth you're pale. Far too pale, even for an elf."

Ireth wiggled her way out of Legolas hold, nearly tripping over herself—it was farther down than she was expecting. "I am fine! Now can we go before the ships _leave_?"

No one looked really convinced, though it amused them terribly when she scowled at them with her arms crossed and a hip cocked in annoyance. Aragorn conceded, a small smile quirking his lips. He then turned to the ghosts asking them to hide their presence before they started towards the coast of the ships. As they got closer, a sort of longing filled her, though she wasn't entirely sure what exactly she was longing _for_ , so she pushed it to the back of her mind, saving it for later thinking when, you know, they weren't in the middle of a _war._

They somehow, miraculously, managed to get to the coast before the corsair ships passed. Ireth stood to the side of Gimli, watching with a hard stare as the ships approached. She could feel the blood beginning to seep back into her face, her heart rate slowing to near normal. Now that the fear was behind her, and she could think more, she realized that she may have been having a panic attack, or maybe an anxiety attack in the ghost city, which only made her frown in confusion. She didn't _get_ panic attacks…or anxiety attacks for that matter. It was uncharacteristic, she was usually calm about a lot of things but once she figured out they were looking for ghosts, she started feeling the uneasiness, and for the life of her she couldn't figure out _why_. She made an irritated noise, which drew Gimli and Legolas' attention, the two giving her a curious look.

"Sorry, I was thinking about something I cannot figure out."

Both looked like they wanted to ask something but then the ships drew close enough that they could see the pirates aboard. Aragorn called out to them. "You may go no further! You will not enter Gondor."

The man, who seemed to be the captain, sneered at them, "Who are you to deny us passage?"

Aragorn looked at Legolas, "Fire a warning shot passed the bosun's ear."

Gimli snickered as Legolas readied his bow, "Mind your aim!"

Ireth let out a burst of laughter as Gimli accidently 'bumped' Legolas' bow as he shoots. Then Gimli gave a chuckle before he called out, "Oh! That's it, right! We warned you! Prepare to be boarded!"

The pirates began to laugh, and Ireth realized that four elves, a man, and a dwarf weren't that very threatening. Not against three huge ships chalk full of men.

"Boarded!" The captain roared, "By you and whose army?"

" _This_ army." Aragorn said as the army of dead made their appearance and charged onto the ships.

Aboard the ship, the ghost remained invisible to Ireth's eyes, but she could feel them around her. While Aragorn and the others were below deck, speaking of some sort of battle plan, Ireth remained on deck, looking over the side of the boat at the water in slight wonder. The longing she felt was strong but she found she could hold the feeling away. At least for now.

"There are spirits that linger around you."

Ireth jumped, looking at the ghost-king. She blinked in confusion, "Your men?"

"Nay, these are spirits. Not ghosts." Ireth couldn't tell if the ghost-king was looking at _her_ or something _next_ to her. "Their bodies are pale and they hover around you whispering in your ears."

Ireth blinked, once again in confusion. "I do not understand, if they are not your ghost-men then who are they?"

The ghost-king disappeared though, and a chill went up her spine. Pale spirits circling around her and whispering in her ear. Frowning, she tried to wrap her head around that thought. These ghosts did not, apparently, belong to the ghost-king. If that is so, then who _did_ they belong to?

Quite suddenly, an image flashed in her mind. It was brief, and the only thing she caught was a man, woman and small male child. Their backs were to her, but once she saw them an immense feeling of dread filled her, the feeling so powerful she hastily sat down before her legs buckled on their own and held her head in her hands to try and relieve the pressure there.

Her eyes widened when a feminine voice came to her ears on the breeze.

 _"_ _It's all your fault."_

 **Boom. I'll let y'all soak that up in silence.**


	19. Thinking Fields

**I am so sorry. This is probably the most awkward writing I've ever made in my life. I am so sorry.**

Her eyes widened when a feminine voice came to her ears on the breeze.

 _"_ _It's all your fault."_

Guilt washed over Ireth, though she couldn't figure out why. Shivering, she stood slowly wrapping her arms around herself. The air became cold around her, her breath appearing before her in a fog. Ireth felt fear travel up her spine as more voices, not just a feminine one, began to whisper into her ear.

" _It's all your fault. You did this. It's all your fault. If it weren't for you…"_

Ireth shook her head, gripping the hair at her temples, and squeezed her eyes closed. Her lip trembled, her mind reeling from the words the voices spoke. Her heart began to beat at an abnormal pace as they continued to whisper their words. She could feel her temples burning in pain, though whether it was from her grip on her hair or the words themselves harming her; she didn't know. Tears began to make themselves present in her eyes, and Ireth blinked hard, trying to prevent them from flowing. With a sharp inhale she forced her hands down, and tried to push the sound of the voices away. Mentally giving a shove, Ireth let out a small scream.

 _A great fiery eye, atop a black tower, glowered down at a writhing figure on the ground. The figures clothes were dirty and torn, but that hadn't been what truly caught Ireth's eyes. The figure. It was her Aunt._

Ireth blinked. She was breathing hard, a cold sweat on her forehead. And she was sitting on the ground. The voices had gone away, but she could still hear the echoes of their words. Ireth wondered at what she'd just seen…no…remembered. She remembers seeing something…like that before. Frowning, she began to stand, finding that hands were on her arms pulling her upwards. She shifted her gaze to an amused looking Legolas.

"Did you just fall?"

Pushing aside her current predicament, she scowled slightly, " _No_ , I was…sitting down."

Legolas frowned, stepping closer to her. "Are you alright? You look frightened."

Ireth took a deep breath, "I am." She shook her head and laughed slightly, though there was no humor in it, "Ever since you told us about the curse of the mountain men, I've been on edge. As if…as if I were afraid of them, though I _know_ I'm not."

"I do not understand." Legolas said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, "You fear the ghost army?"

Ireth shook her head, "No. I think…I think I'm afraid of something else." Ireth took another breath, trying to muster the courage to explain to Legolas what she had…experienced just moments before he arrived. "Earlier…I heard a woman's voice. But it wasn't just that, there were other voices."

She looked up at him, worry and slight fear evident in her face. "And the ghost-king _did_ say there were spirits around me. Spirits that aren't from his army."

"You think you are haunted?"

Ireth scowled with irritation, "I don't _know_. I just…"

Ireth shook her head, turning away to look out at the water. She felt that pull to sail…sail where? Frowning to herself, Ireth opened her mouth to speak to Legolas, but when she turned to look at him, found him staring off into the distant currents with a yearning look on his face. "Legolas?"

Slowly, he looked away from the sea, blinking away the yearning look. He looked almost sad, "It is the sea-longing. Elves feel it when they are near the sea, or when it is their time to sail on into the west; to the Undying Lands."

Ireth nodded, finding the answer to her unspoken question. "I feel it."

They both remained quiet, looking to the sea as they sailed on to Gondor. It wasn't until Aragorn, Gimli, Elrohir and Elladan came on deck that they finally pulled their gaze away from the sea. They would have each had a concerned and understanding look on their face if it weren't for the grin Gimli was wearing. Ireth, a little confused at this, didn't question it, but looked to Aragorn as he moved to the side of the boat.

"We're almost to the docks. We need to remain quiet from here on." The shadowy shapes of the war-torn docks came into view as the boats drifted lazily down the river. Ireth took after Aragorn, kneeling down to be hidden from view. At first, all Ireth could hear were the echoes of war and, louder, a group of orcs that were close to the docks.

"Late! As usual!" An orc called out, "There's knife work to be done! Get off your ships, you lazy pirate scum!"

At those words, Aragorn jumped over the side of the boat, Legolas, Gimli, Elladan and Elrohir following suit. Ireth felt a chill run down her spine, a presence appearing behind her. Stiffly, she jumped over the side of the boat, standing next to Elrohir. The twin elves had lost all friendliness that Ireth might have thought they had, their eyes were narrowed dangerously at the orcs and a feeling of anger and brutality rolled off them in waves. Unconsciously, Ireth took a step to the side, leaving a large space between her and the two elves. Despite their attention being elsewhere, Elrohir seemed to notice the action, and let out a low chuckle. Ireth just huffed in response, waiting patiently for Aragorn to start…whatever it was he was going to start.

"There's plenty enough for the both of us," She heard Gimli say, "May the best dwarf win."

She figured he was talking to Legolas, and rolled her eyes. Then they started forward with the ghost army quickly gaining ground. Ireth wasn't at all surprised when the orcs started to retreat immediately upon seeing the ghost army that far outnumbered them. She pulled Agarwaen from its sheath, and began to slay the orcs, at least the one's the ghosts' missed. Ireth moved quickly, cutting down most Orcs that were running away into the fields. Ireth felt her breath catch in her throat as a slightly familiar sound caught her ears. Was…was that an elephant?

A shout from Aragorn was heard, but Ireth couldn't make out exactly what he said until a streak of blonde caught her eye. Turning away, she blocked a sword just before it made its way into her skull. She pushed forward, scowling at the smug grin on the orcs face. Ireth moved aside, allowing the absence of her force pitch the orc forward and sent her leg forward into his stomach before driving her sword through his back. When she looked back at Legolas and the elephant, he was gracefully sliding off its trunk as it fell to the ground dead.

"That still only counts as one!" Gimli's gruff voice called out.

Ireth laughed, and turned around, walking straight into a wounded mans' knife. She let out a gasp, instinctually sending her fist forward in a punch that broke the man's nose and sent him sprawling to the ground in a heap. He was strangely dressed, not like the men of Rohan or the men of Gondor that she caught glimpses of every now and then. He reminded her, kind of, of the tribal men in the Middle East. What were they called? She couldn't remember. Coughing, she felt blood slip out of her mouth. She looked down at the wound, the knife still imbedded in her stomach. It didn't seem to be in a dangerous spot. It was too low to hit a lung and too far into her side to have hit her liver or stomach.

Shakily, she sheathed Agarwaen, and then looked around, falling to a knee. The ghosts were practically ravaging the fields, bringing down any orc or elephant in their way. They didn't seem to go after those that fled back to where she was assuming lied Mordor. It seemed that the battle was going into their favor as the ghosts began to start their work in the city. Ireth grimaced as pain swarmed her. Making a decision, she grabbed the hilt of the knife and yanked on it. She let out a small cry of pain, and flung the knife away with as much strength as possible. It didn't go very far. Ireth placed her hand on the wound, remembering to keep pressure, so she wouldn't bleed out. She needed to get help, but where? Vaguely, she caught sight of a man on a horse. Mustering as much strength as she could, she stood, and began to, slowly, ever so slowly, make her way to the horseman. His back was facing her, and it seemed she didn't quite make enough noise to get his attention. She reached out, nearly touching the horse when it began to lurch forward and walk towards the city of Gondor.

Ireth let out a curse. She let herself sink down to her knees, the last of her energy expending itself as she lowered herself into a sitting position. Her vision began to flow in and out, until finally she just shut her eyes and listened to everything around her. Mistake.

 _"_ _It's all your fault. It is. You wouldn't be in this situation if you'd been paying attention."_

 _"_ _Just like us, you're going to get yourself killed."_

 _"_ _You're already dying. Soon you will be with us."_

 _"_ _It's all your fault."_

Ireth, slowly, peeled her eyes opened, and felt them widen. There hovering in a white mist were three figures—familiar three figures. One was a woman, her mother, and a man, her father. She assumed that the boy would be her brother had he lived to age. It was strange, she knew it was them, but there was something that was off. Ireth assumed it was the fact that their eyes were black, completely, with no whites showing. There wasn't much else Ireth could do except sit where she was and keep pressure on the wound, and do her best to ignore these…spirits.

It seemed like forever, but soon the voices faded away, though not before doing a great deal of damage to Ireth's mental state. She'd begun to think of that dreadful day when she was in the car accident. As she thought, rerunning the day's events in her minds' eye like a movie, the three ghosts pointed out everything that made it all her fault. The worst part is while she knew for a fact that it wasn't her fault, she began to see how it could have been her fault.

She had begged and begged to go meet her aunt. It was the only thing she had ever acted bratty about. Finally, when her parents conceded, she behaved as she usually did, never taking into consideration on why her parents kept her and her brother secret. Again, Ireth had insisted upon going to see her that same day. At first, her parents had been hesitant but Ireth pleaded with them. Just what was the reason that her parents kept her secret from her Aunt and Uncle? Why had her aunt been so astonished that her sister had two children? Ireth shook her head. If she had just waited for when her parents were ready to tell her aunt about her and her brother, they could all be alive still.

"Ireth? Ireth!"

At the sound of her name, she slowly blinked her eyes open, a little surprised to see Eomer dismounting from his horse. He looked at the wound with a frown, and let out a small curse. "Can you stand?"

"I don't have the energy." She said sluggishly.

She thought he would go and receive help or get Aragorn; she wasn't expecting him to pick her up. Ireth let out a small whimper, but tried to hold herself as still as possible as he settled her onto his horse, and mounted behind her.

"This will be uncomfortable, but we need to get you to a healer quickly."

Ireth nodded, applying more pressure to her wound and trying not to cry out with each jostle the horse gave as it moved swiftly toward the city. Vaguely, she thought she saw an astonished looking Elladan and Elrohir as the horse that carried her swept passed them.

The last thing Ireth remembers seeing before passing out was the broken doors of the city passing over her head.

 ****grins and backs away slowly.** So that happens. Please don't kill me. **Runs away with hands in the air****


	20. The End of The War

It's been seven days. Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas have returned with the rest of the men from the gates of Mordor. Gandalf had already returned with Frodo and Sam two days earlier. Currently, Legolas could be seen pacing back and forth in the Houses of Healing, a small frown on his face. He made to pace once more when Aragorn grabbed his friends shoulder and halted the elf.

"You must not worry." He said, "Ireth is strong, Elladan said she just needs rest."

Gimli, from his position against the wall, agreed, "Aye, laddie. The lass will waken soon. A survivor, that one she is."

Legolas inhaled carefully, squeezing his hands shut before relaxing his shoulders to the best of his ability. Truth be told he wasn't just worried. He was angry…and scared. If she had stayed on the ships like he had wanted, like he had _asked_ ; she wouldn't have been hurt. Hearing the news of her injuries from Elladan and Elrohir had made ice run through his veins, a cold fury running through him faster than he could kill the orcs in his sights. He wanted her to be safe, to _avoid_ this current situation.

Elrohir, who looked odd without his brother standing beside him, tilted his head toward the curtain that separated Ireth from the rest of the wounded. Elladan appeared moments later, nodding slightly to himself. "She'll awaken soon. I'd give her no more than a few hours."

Legolas' eyes focused on him, "Is this normal? For her to be unconscious _this_ long from a stab wound?"

Elladan and Elrohir exchanged a look before both made a motion for the trio to follow them to a more secluded place. Aragorn frowned at the two, wondering what would lead them to such actions, but nonetheless followed the two with Gimli trailing behind and encouraging Legolas to be patient for a little longer.

"It had come to my attention that Ireth had more than one injury." Elladan raised his hands in a placating manner when Legolas visibly tensed. If the news he were to tell weren't so heavy he would consider teasing the ellon, but as it were he needed to mention this small bit of information. "It is not so much as a physical injury as it is mental, I'm not sure how it happened but it seems that Sauron was able to attach broken spirits to her subconscious thought."

"Broken Spirits?" Aragorn questioned, "What are those?"

Again, Elladan exchanged a look with Elrohir, who both seemed to glance at Legolas briefly and then nodded to each other in some sort of silent agreement. "They are spirits, genderless and formless, given a shape by impressions and grievances of the one they are attached to. Has she been subjected to anything at all to allow _four_ to take different forms and cause her mind turmoil?"

Gimli and Aragorn shook their head, looking slightly confused as to how their friend could acquire such torment. But their heads quickly shot to Legolas when he said in monotone, "I do."

Everyone just stared at him, waiting for him to explain her inner turmoil that would allow these abominations to feed off her mind and torment her, but Legolas quickly asked, diverting the topic of Ireth to something much more concerning.

"How did they become attached to her?"

"Somehow she came into contact with Sauron. It's hard to tell if it was before…her journey here, or after she awoke." Elrohir stated.

Legolas looked at Aragorn, both remembering her picking up the Palantir in Rohan. "It was after, when we were in Rohan. After Pippin took the Palantir from Gandalf, she grabbed it away from Aragorn."

"That must be where she came into contact with him," Aragorn murmured before looking at Elladan, "Now that Sauron is defeated, will these Broken Spirits disappear?"

Legolas fidgeted slightly as Elladan took his sweet time answering. He really wanted to smack the ellon across the face…with his foot, but seeing as he needed to know if Ireth would be okay; if she would awaken soon, he waited for Elladan's answer.

Said elf looked at Legolas with a slight worried frown, "It's hard to say. We can only know when she awakens. Until then it would be best to prepare for the worst."

Legolas scowled, turning away from the elf and walking back towards Ireth's bedside. She wasn't as pale as she had been when he'd first seen her on that day, which gave him a small amount of relief. Carefully, he brushed away golden strands of hair from her face, noticing that she had shifted positions since Elladan had seen her. It gave him another wave of relief—if she was moving around then she's starting to come out of this sleep. Legolas sat down in the chair beside her bed, ignoring the grin the dwarf was giving him from the opening of the curtain.

BREAK

Ireth blinked open her eyes, a soft light coming in from the window beside her bed. Something golden caught her eye, and when she shifted her gaze from the window she found herself looking at a sleeping Legolas. With his head propped up by his elbow, the morning light made his hair glow as if he were a star in the sky. His eyes were half-lidded, his gaze unfocused. It made a small smile appear on Ireth's face. Quietly, Ireth sat up, then instantly stilled, a small squeak coming from her mouth as her hand went to her abdomen.

She'd forgotten she'd been injured. Ireth looked down at her stomach, finding the knife wound mostly healed though there were areas of her stomach around the wound that were red and sore. It made her wonder exactly how long she was out, and if they had won the war. The war… Ireth sat up fully, grimacing at the pain, and allowed her legs to fall off the edge of the bed. It took her two tries, but she was able to gain her balance and walk with little support to the window beside Legolas. Beyond the window, the sun shone on a damaged but in tack city. There were no orcs, and many people seemed to be trying to tidy up the destroyed city.

Blinking, Ireth looked at Legolas, wondering if she should wake him up or let him sleep. Deciding on the latter, she left her "room" and wandered out of the houses of healing, wondering how long she'd been unconscious.

"Ireth!?"

Said girl turned at the sound of her name, blinking in shock to see Eowyn and a strange yet familiar man walking toward her arm in arm. Ireth nodded to the man, then smiled at Eowyn, "Hello."

Eowyn had released her male companions arm in order to hug the elleth, though Ireth was still a little confused at the astonished and relieved looks that seemed to grow on her friends face. Éowyn released her, a frown on her face. "You've been unconscious for nine days!"

Ireth felt her jaw drop. " _Nine days?_ "

Eowyn nodded, her brows furrowed in a worried look. "Eomer brought you to the Houses of Healing as fast as he could, but there wasn't much that the healers could do, and then those two elven men came in and healed you."

Ireth blinked in surprise, "You mean Elladan and Elrohir?"

Eowyn nodded, then guided Ireth to an open door way, her friend trailing respectively behind them. Eowyn guided Ireth to what looked like an outdoor parlor, and sat her down at a bench. Ireth thanked her, wondering exactly who the man standing beside her was. Ireth raised a brow at Eowyn and noticeably looked to the man. She grinned when a faint blush spread on Eowyn's cheeks.

"Oh, Ireth, this is Lord Faramir," Eowyn said, turning so that she could see the two. "Lord Faramir, this is a close friend of mine, Lady Ireth of Lothlórien."

Ireth smiled at the man, noticing some of the familiar features he had. His reddish brown hair, the length of it, and his eyes were all familiar to her. It caused a pang in her chest, though she wasn't sure why. "It's nice to meet you."

"As well as you, milady." Lord Faramir glanced away from her, his brow quirking as a small smile played on his lips. Curious, Ireth looked from him to a grinning Eowyn and then finally turned around on the bench.

Legolas stood a few feet back, a relieved looking smile on his face. Ireth felt her cheeks turn pink as she quickly looked back at Eowyn and Faramir, "Please excuse me for a moment."

Ireth stood, ignoring the knowing grin on her friends face as she walked over to the elf. Her stomach was practically tied in knots as she approached him, her cheeks tinged pink. "Hi."

The breath was practically knocked out of her as she became crushed in a hug, her face pressed against Legolas strong chest. Ireth laughed a little, looking up at Legolas when he finally released her from his grip. There was concern on his face that made a bubbly feeling rise in her stomach. "You should go rest, you've been unconscious for nine days."

That was when Ireth remembered the war. "What happened while I was unconscious?"

Instead of answering, Legolas nodded to a figure behind Ireth and then, with a hand on her lower back that sent tingles up her spine, he led her back to her bed in the makeshift room. There was a tray at the foot of the bed with fruits and cheeses on it, brought for her when the healers realized she was awake. Ireth ate slowly as Legolas told her about Aragorn's plan to make a diversion for Frodo and Sam, Gandalf calling for Giant Eagles to help fight the foul beasts, and then the fall of the Great Eye, and the destruction of Mordor.

"Frodo and Sam?" Ireth questioned with large eyes, her lower lip slightly trembling at the thought of the two hobbits being dead. Legolas sat next to her, a consoling arm on her back as he talked to her.

"Both alive, but greatly injured." Legolas explained as Ireth heaved a sigh of relief and laid her head on his shoulder. Her stomach was twisted in all sorts of knots, but she was more relieved to know that the two hobbits were in the least still alive.

"That's a relief."

 **I'd like to apologize for how late this is. I started college and I don't college well. I finally had some free time to write this and post it. I wanted it to be longer but it's been four weeks and I know that y'alls patience is waning if it's not gone all together.**

 **I have about two to three more chapters to go, and then the story is complete so YAY! Of course I still have my other story going on and that's just going to be a pain in the ass because its going to take FOREVER.**

 **So I know this chapter was kind of weak but I'm starting to come to my wits end with this story and that' all i'm going to write for now cause my computer is running it's text incredibly slow and it's really confusing.**


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